Coco Gauff has put the world on notice with her meteoric rise as one of the best female tennis players in the world.
The 19-year-old tennis sensation captured America’s hearts when she beat Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka to win her first US Open title. Gauff did the work to get to that point, as she had won three other tournaments before she had set foot on the New York tennis court.
When she beat Sabalenka, Gauff became the youngest American tennis player to win the US Open since Serena Williams did it at 17 years old in 1999. The Georgia-born athlete has a lot to celebrate, as she is not only a champion, but was also named as the 12th-most marketable athlete in the world by SportsPro Media.
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Gauff was ranked above athletes such as NBA player Stephen Curry, soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, and football star Travis Kelce. Williams has been on the list three times, with her highest ranking being No. 2 in 2022. If Gauff continues her trajectory to superstardom, she may be able to catch up to her idol one day.
Gauff showed fans just why she is so marketable on a recent Instagram Live. Remarks piled in as the teenager danced with her little brother Cameron to Michael Jackson’s classic song “P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing).” Her followers sent love to Gauff, with comments like, “US Open winner right there,” and “Coco tearing it up on the courts AND the dance floor is EVERYTHING!!”
Coco tearing it up on the 🎾courts AND the dance floor is EVERYTHING!! https://t.co/bQ39R1nMk6
— Reva Nadal (@TodoSobreMiRafa) October 21, 2023
Fan comments about Gauff aren’t always positive, but she says that the negativity fuels her. “I wouldn’t say negativity is something that’s welcome,” Gauff said after one of her Chinese Open matches, “It’s more, I don’t know, something that I draw inspiration from.” She continued, “I don’t know, it’s weird, maybe I feed from negativity…I’m very stubborn. I like to argue. I like to prove people wrong.”
This isn’t the first time the Atlanta native has said that she feeds off of negativity. After beating Sabalenka in the U.S. Open Final, Gauff gave a shoutout to her haters.
“Thank you to the people who didn’t believe in me,” Gauff said after winning her first US Open, “Like a month ago, I won a 500 title, and people said I would stop at that. Two weeks ago, I won a 1000 title, and people were saying that was the biggest it was going to get. So three weeks later, I’m here with this trophy right now.”
The champion continued, “You know I tried my best to carry this with grace, and I’ve been doing my best, so honestly, to those who thought they were putting water in my fire, you were really adding gas to it. And now I’m really burning so bright right now.”
While Gauff stayed positive about her haters, the road to her first championship title was marred in controversy after she faced Germany’s Laura Siegemund in the first round of the US Open. Both athletes called out the referee over the way the game was called, but Gauff ultimately won the match. Siegemund was booed out of the stadium as the American crowd took umbrage with her slow play.
In the post-match press conference, a disheveled Siegemund called out the ref and the fans. Siegemund said with tears in her eyes, “They had no respect for me. They had no respect for the way I played. They had no respect for the player that I am.” She also implied that the ref may have given Gauff special treatment, stating, “If Coco was taking that much time it wouldn’t be such an issue, you know what I mean.”
While this match is firmly in Gauff’s rear view, fans can look forward to seeing the tennis player on the court again soon. Gauff will be participating in the WTA finals, which start on Oct. 29. The tournament takes place in Cancun, Mexico.
