Coco Gauff crashed out of the Australian Open after losing to fellow American Sofia Kenin in the fourth round. (Getty Images)
The American teenage sensation has already grabbed headlines after shocking more experienced and higher-ranked opponents in recent times during Tours and Slam events. The 17-year old has already accomplished several accolades to her name and there still is a long path for her to succeed.
| Age | 17 |
| Height | 5ft 9in |
| Nationality | American |
| Networth | US$4 million |
| Income | US$100,000 (Annual) |
| Endorsements | New Balance, Barilla |
Gauff was born on March 13, 2004, to Candi (née Odom) and Corey Gauff, both of whom are from Delray Beach, Florida. Gauff grew up in Atlanta initially, and first became interested in tennis at the age of four after watching Serena Williams win the 2009 Australian Open.
She started playing tennis early on and later wanted to pursue it as a career because it was an individual sport and due to her early success winning the “Little Mo” eight-and-under nationals.
The family came back to Florida in order to provide better opportunities for Gauff sent her to work with Gerard Loglo at the New Generation Tennis Academy for a few years.
Her parents devoted their entire time for her upbringing and her father became her primary coach. She also began training at the Mouratoglou Academy in France that is run by Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams’s longtime coach, when she was ten years old.
Gauff turned professional in May 2018 and made her ITF debut as a qualifier at Osprey, Florida, winning her maiden tour match. She received a wild card into qualifying at the US Open but lost her opening match two months after turning 14 years old.
However, it was her wild card entry into last year’s Wimbledon that put the teenager in the limelight. She thus became the youngest player to reach the main draw at Wimbledon by qualifying in the Open Era at the age of 15 years and 3 months old.
Her victories over some higher0ranked opponents including her idol Venus Williams made her an overnight sensation. However, she exited Wimbledon in the fourth round after losing to eventual champion Simona Halep.
She won her first WTA title in doubles category alongside Caty McNally at the Citi Open. Despite winning a wild card for the US Open, Gauff could not make good use of the opportunity as she was knocked out of the tournament by World No. 1 Naomi Osaka.
Following the US Open, Gauff won her maiden WTA singles title at Linz as the lucky loser defeating Jeļena Ostapenko in the final to become the youngest WTA player to win a singles title since 2004.
She also made her top 100 debuts in both the WTA singles and doubles rankings last year.
2020 began with a bang as she progressed through the ranks once again overcoming Venus Williams at the Australian Open. But her journey did not last long as she once again exited the Grand Slam event in the fourth round losing to fellow countrywoman and eventual champion Sofia Kenin.
In 2021, Gauff and McNally won their third WTA Doubles title at the Parma open. Gauff has a total of 2 singles titles and 3 doubles titles. She has never won a grand slam title. She is currently ranked 24 in singles and 23 in doubles.
According to the WTA website, Gauff, an upcoming rising star has a net worth of $2.5 million which she has so far achieved through her earnings from the game. She also has earned prize money of $ 803,530 to date and looks set for more with the talent she possesses.
The teenager already has endorsement deals she has already signed with New Balance, pasta maker Barilla and tennis racket maker Head.
Some more titles in the professional arena would make her one of the most sought out upcoming tennis players in the women’s category.
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