Gauff 'Not Shocked' By Being First American Teenager In US Open Semifinals Since Serena Williams
WTA
Coco Gauff is the first US teenager since Serena Williams to play in the US Open semi-final, and it is not surprising to her.
Gauff has been part of the WTA Tour for a few years now, and by now, she can be considered a regular. She's played in a Grand Slam final before, so making a Grand Slam semi-final doesn't phase her much, even if it's at her home Slam.
The American recently won her biggest trophy in Cincinnati and is on a 10-match winning streak with her most recent win over Jelena Ostapenko. The win sent her into the semi-final of the US Open, becoming the first US teenager since Serena Williams to do so. The achievement means a lot to her.
Oh, it means a lot to me. I mean, being in any sentence with her is great. I mean, she's the greatest player of all time. You know, I'm nothing close to that yet. I'm just really honored to be in the same sentence as her.
Despite being amazed by it, Gauff isn't surprised as comparisons with Williams have been made for many years. It's unlikely that she'll ever match Serena because hardly anybody ever will, but she's used to being compared to her. It's been going on for a while.
It's something that I'm used to a lot. So, you know, I'm not going to sit here and be like, Oh, I'm shocked, but I feel like a lot of the stats have aligned with her, and people find new things to think about. I was the first teenager in the quarters and now semis, so I'm guessing if I win they're going to be, like, finals. It's just going to keep going.
Even though she's used to it, Gauff doesn't take it for granted. She grew up idolizing Williams and just being anywhere near her is amazing to her.
Like I said, I never take it for granted. She's my idol. I think if you told me when I was younger that I would be in these same stat lines as her, I would freak out. I'm still trying not to think about it a lot, because I don't want to get my head big or add pressure, but it is a cool moment to have that stat alongside her.
