Coco Gauff's father reveals how Serena Williams inspired tennis dream

American No. 1 Coco Gauff wanted to emulate the heroics of her idol, Serena Williams, from the age of 10 after watching the legend win the Australian Open in 2010. Some 15 years later, the 21-year-old is already a Grand Slam title winner and is setting her sights on further glory at the French Open. 

Alongside sibling Venus Williams, Serena's all-conquering displays on court saw her dominate an era of tennis as she won a staggering 23 singles majors during her glittering career. Before hanging up her racket back in 2022, the superstar inspired a generation to want to follow in her footsteps.

One future household name who worshiped the younger Williams sister during her formative years was Gauff, who decided she wanted to embark on a succesful career in the sport as a result of her performances. Serena's exploits in the showpiece at the Australian Open particularly left their mark on her junior compatriot. 

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In fact Gauff's father Corey Gauff recently informed Game Changer that seeing Williams close out her fifth major in Melbourne led to him buying his daughter a racket. With the rest now history, he recalled: "I remember saying, ‘Man, she’s going to be the GOAT’. 

"And [Coco] said, ‘What is the GOAT?’ And I said, ‘That’s the Greatest of All Time’, and she’s like, ‘I want to be a GOAT!' So I ran out and bought her a racquet. That’s how it all started.”

"Growing up, it was never a thought for me to be a professional tennis player," world No. 2 ace Gauff acknowledged as she spoke about how Serena blazed a trail for her to follow her dreams. "Especially in the black community, even now, tennis is still so uncommon."

Having risen to become a Grand Slam victor in her own right at the U.S. Open in 2023, she added: "The fact that I can say I have a Grand Slam is crazy. But there’s a lot more in life than just your sport. You can inspire people to do things, not just from playing, but who you are as a person."

For now, Gauff is determined to iron out recent serving issues as she looks to win a second major of her career at the French Open. She said after defeat in the final at the Italian Open: "With the double-faults, it's something I know I have to improve and do better. If I want to make it to the next level, it's definitely something I have to improve.

"I think it's both confidence and motivation to do better. Hopefully I can get to the final in Roland Garros and maybe the 'third time is a charm' thing is a real thing ... Overall, I lost to two quality opponents, Aryna [Sabalenka] in Madrid and Jasmine [Paolini] here.

In a telling address after losing to Paolini in Rome, she added: "I made the [Italian Open] final with those errors, maybe not playing my best tennis. It just gives me confidence, if I can find that good form heading into Roland Garros, I can do well there."