Coco Gauff got exactly what she wished for.
The Atlanta native is a Grand Slam champion, the world no.2 and one of the best tennis players in the world.
But in 2019, Gauff was just a 15-year-old American with big eyes and larger dreams – handed a wild card into the qualifying event for Wimbledon.
“I want to be the greatest,” Gauff said. “My dad told me that I could do this when I was eight. Obviously you never believe it. I’m still, like, not 100% confident, but you have to just say things.”
A teenage Gauff also said that she wanted to play one of the Williams sisters.
After becoming the youngest player to emerge through the qualifying route, Gauff was granted her wish and set the stage for a career that has resulted in seven singles titles, more than $14 million in career earnings, and the 2023 US Open women’s crown.
“I’m super shocked, but I’m just super blessed that Wimbledon decided to give me the wild card,” Gauff said. “I mean, I never expected this to happen. Obviously I literally got my dream draw, so I’m just super happy.”
It was Gauff vs Venus Williams in ’19.
Gauff, who started playing tennis at 6 and once idolized Serena Williams with a memorable poster, took the court, embraced the stage she was made for and didn’t look back.
Gauff stunned Venus, then a five-time Wimbledon champion, in the opening round with a 6-4, 6-4 win on her Grand Slam debut.
It was the first sign of everything to come from Gauff, who’s evolved into a powerful fan-favorite in 2024.
The youngest player to qualify for Wimbledon in the Open Era won in straight sets to put Venus away.
“On the court, I was not thinking about Venus — I was just playing my game,” Gauff said. “No matter who I play against, I want to win. So that’s what I was just thinking about the whole time. I wasn’t really thinking about who I was facing on the other side of the net.”
Gauff won the first set in 35 minutes, silencing the crowd.
The second set was tougher but Gauff prevailed, requiring just 1 hour and 19 minutes overall to dispense with one of the biggest names in tennis in the sport’s most famous venue.
“You never know what happens,” Gauff said. “If I went into this match saying, ‘Let’s see how many games I can get against her,’ then I most definitely would not have won.
“My goal was to play my best. My dream was to win. That’s what happened.”
Gauff will enter the 2024 Wimbledon tournament ranked No. 2 in the world, having reached her first Grand Slam final in 2022 at the French Open, she claimed her first singles Grand Slam title in front of an adoring US Open crowd in New York last year.
Only Iga Swiatek is ahead in the WTA rankings, and Gauff is still only 20-years-old.
It all started when she made history at Wimbledon and overpowered Venus after dreaming of facing a Williams sister on the legendary grass surface.
“She played amazing, was just super nice,” Gauff said. “She’s always been nice the couple times I met her.”
The rising American star recently became emotional at the French Open.
While attempting to advance to the finals, Gauff broke down in tears during a tense moment as she challenged a controversial call while playing No. 1 seed Swiatek.
Gauff confronted the chair umpire: “They’re booing because they know you are wrong,” she said.
“Are you serious?” she added.
As the crowd howled in the background, Gauff began crying.
Swiatek won the match and tournament, while Gauff vaulted to No. 2 overall and is now prepping for another big Wimbledon run, with memories of that breakthrough five years ago fresh in the mind.