Coco Gauff is on cloud nine after her maiden Grand Slam triumph at the US Open two weeks ago. Ever since the victory, the 19-year-old has basked in the greetings and wishes exchanged with her by avid followers of tennis. That’s not all, as pundits and former players have thrown in their hats to dissect the teenager’s game from various angles and comment on her ascent.
One former player who has heaped praise on Coco and her contribution to the game is former British No. 1 Greg Rusedski. Greg insisted on the need for rivalries on the women’s tour, just like how men’s tennis got egged on by the rivalry between the “Big Three”.
He said, “We need a rivalry in the women’s game especially. Because in the men’s game, you’ve got Carlos, the young buck, vs Novak Djokovic, the legend of our sport. You know, you need a Coco-Swiatek, you need a Coco-Sabalenka.” He has a point; as with rivalry, more attention and the right sort of concern from various corners lead to better tennis for viewers.
US Open Finals viewership averages:
Coco Gauff vs Aryna Sabalenka: 3.422 million (with a pretty high peak at match point I’m assuming)
Novak Djokovic vs Daniil Medvedev: 2.321 million https://t.co/SUSdAemBX1
— Matt Dowell (@MattDowellTV) September 12, 2023
His words are quite true, for the viewership numbers of the U.S. Open final between Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka were more than the Men’s Final, which is a record in itself.
This bears ample testimony to the fact that the Women’s game is catching up fast with the Men’s game and with rivalries, could compete on an even keel. The great, Billie Jean King, echoed similar sentiments when she tweeted in support of investing in women’s sports.
Coco Gauff has all the attributes of being the next big thing in Women’s Tennis
Rusedski even deemed Coco as a “crowd magnet” and has all the attributes to make it big in the sport. He pointed out that it was the rivalries such as John McEnroe-Bjorn Bjorg and Martina Navratilova-Chris Evert, that let his love for the sport bloom during his childhood; and Gauff could be the fulcrum of such rivalries in the years to come, as he foresees it to be.
{Credits – Yahoo Sports, Sky Sports}
He reserved his best praise for Coco Gauff till the end when he concluded by saying, “Coco brings another audience to the sport who aren’t tennis fans and that is a big plus.” This practically means that Gauff’s charisma draws an audience that may not necessarily be hardcore tennis fans, thus adding to the pedigree of the player herself.
To be fair to his statements, she has all the necessary qualities for a colored woman to pursue her dreams amidst discrimination. For that, she has to thank her grandmother, Yvonne Lee Odom, who has inspired her since childhood. Coco is exuberant and outspoken with a mettle to voice for justice. Those are traits of a champion, which she has inherited from her grandmother.
Also, there are the Williams sisters, who cannot be left far behind by any black woman who has big aspirations. Gauff is no different, and she is usually effusive in her praise for them and the pivotal role they played in molding her to fight and not take things lying down.
Coco Gauff says Serena & Venus Williams are the reason she has the US Open trophy today:
“They’re the reason why I have this trophy today. They’ve allowed me to believe in this dream. Growing up, there weren’t too many black tennis players dominating the sport. It was just them… pic.twitter.com/IJN1viI4nx
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 10, 2023
For now, though, Cori Dionne “Coco” Gauff has started living up to her promise and the U.S. Open victory doesn’t seem like a flash in the pan by any means, albeit on her home turf. If signs are anything to go by, she is destined for greater deeds on the WTA tour, eventually going on to cement a legacy of her own and draw more people toward the sport.