Wimbledon brought as much entertainment as the event does year after year, but 2019’s edition added a cherry on top in Coco Gauff. The 15-year-old’s life changed in an instant when she beat seasoned tennis champ Venus Williams who, for the record, has won the Championships five times already. For a teenager, there couldn’t be a bigger achievement than that!
Wimbledon 2019’s cherry on top
Global Superstar
Her victory made Coco a global superstar, with praises streaming in from anyone and everyone, to the point of the kid even trending on Twitter. Serena Williams herself admitted to being proud of Coco’s feat, and when the best in the business recognizes your efforts, you are most certainly on the right track.
In beating Venus, Coco, who’s legal name is Cori Gauff, wasn’t done yet. She went on to beat Polona Hercog, before losing to Simona Halep. Of course, everyone saw her exploits at the Championships as a win, and she agreed that the experience taught her a lot. That she left the tournament as the youngest winner in over two decades was also a plus.
You know how Michelle Obama is all about empowering young girls? She was among the earliest guests to Coco’s party, taking to Twitter to congratulate her on her win over Venus. She didn’t stop there, going on to follow the youngster’s progress at the competition, up until her exit.
And knowing the former FLOTUS, would she assume that tweets would do Coco enough justice? Of course not! Michelle took it upon herself to find the rising star, and the two shared details of their meeting via Twitter.
Exchanging autographs
They went as far as exchanging autographs, with Mrs. Obama handing the kid a copy of her bestselling book, Becoming. She didn’t just sign it, but instead went on to inscribe words of encouragement for the athlete. In exchange, Michelle received a signed tennis racket from Coco.
Later on, Obama described Gauff as a wonderful youngster who had shown the world that it’s never too early for the younger generation to reach out and get what’s theirs. For her part, Coco simply uploaded a picture of herself in a tight embrace with the former FLOTUS, followed by a caption admitting to being speechless.
In a tight embrace with the former FLOTUS
Even before Wimbledon 2019, anyone who had been following Coco’s career must have known that she was, and still is, headed for greatness. Starting out aged 8, she became the youngest girl to ever reach the US Open final aged 13, and two years later, became the youngest female to win in a French Open qualifying match. You could say that the stage was well-set for her to deliver at Wimbledon, right?
As sure as night follows day, Coco is firmly following in the footsteps of the Williams sisters. Currently ranked as world’s number 313, we need to watch this space since it won’t be long till she’s in the top ten, and eventually at the helm of it all. That the company Barilla has already offered to sponsor the 15-year-old means that they see something great in her. And do you know which other tennis star the company sponsors? Roger Federer.
