Coco Gauff Vaults From Obscurity to Stardom, but Result Is the Same

The weather could have been better in Boca Raton, and Serena Williams and Gauff often practiced separately with their teams. But there was plenty of bonding off court with dinners, karaoke sessions and a dance performance that was filmed and posted online.

“My highlight definitely,” Coco Gauff said. “Serena and I, we didn’t pick up the choreography as fast as everyone else. In the end, we did well. She pulled a split. That was really cool.”

Gauff might not play like a 15-year-old, but she can sound like one. She is into TikTok, the app that has become a global addiction.

“I procrastinate a lot on that app; I have to do homework,” she said. “I mean, everyone thinks I’m so serious because of my on-court. Really I’m not. I don’t take life too seriously. I mean, I just like to have fun. Same with my dad. I know my dad seems like this big, intimidating guy, but he’s really more the jokester.”

But beating Venus Williams — even a rusty Venus Williams — continues to require serious talent and a serious sense of purpose.

Wiliams, ranked 55th, has lost a step but not her love of the battle, and though Gauff leads the head-to-head 2-0, that is also a virtue of Williams’s staying power.

“She’s showing my daughter you can play tennis as long as you want at a high level,” Corey Gauff said. “I’m glad my daughter won, but I hate to see Venus out in the first round. I wish they didn’t have to play each other.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/20/sports/tennis/coco-gauff-venus-williams.html?emc=rss&partner=rss