Last week, Cori “Coco” Gauff became the youngest tennis player to qualify for Wimbledon in the open era. Today, she became the youngest tennis player to win a match at Wimbledon since 1991. Making the accomplishment more poetic, she defeated one of the most accomplished Black women in the history of sports, Venus Williams. As Gauff explains, the Williams sisters have been an inspiration for her. She said, “They’re the reason I wanted to pick up a tennis racket.”
Made for the big stage ?@CocoGauff becomes the youngest player since 1991 to win in the first round of the ladies' singles, beating Venus Williams 6-4, 6-4#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/hfgcQGdZtq
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 1, 2019
Gauff won her first round match against Williams 6-4, 6-4. After the victory, Coco exploded with emotion. She told Katie Falkingham of the BBC, “It’s the first time I have ever cried after winning a match.” She continued, “I don’t know how to explain how I feel.”
Proud parents ?#Wimbledon | @CocoGauff pic.twitter.com/IPVdZIPREF
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 1, 2019
The entire Gauff family was in on the celebration. From the stands, cameras caught Gauff’s parents overwhelmed with joy. She said, “My parents will be super happy, my dad was jumping up every time I won a point. I’m so happy they spent all their time on me and my brothers and making sure we’re successful.”
Gauff will play Magdalena Rybarikova in the second round at Wimbledon. In the meantime, she will go back to being a normal teenager. She noted that she had to take a science test shortly before her opening match at Wimbledon.
