Coco Gauff met Serena Williams more than a few times, but the first time they met, Serena gave her advice she still remembers.
Ever since she broke out as a teenager, the teenage American has been compared to the legendary 23-time Grand Slam champion. The reasons for it are pretty clear, as she's one of the most talented players on the WTA Tour, but it's something she dismissed herself more than once.
She's always held Williams in high regard and called her an idol, but she wanted to forge her own path away from Williams' name. In essence, it's the advice that Serena gave her when they first met.
The first time they met happened at the Mouratoglou Academy, where Gauff was one of the players working on her game. Williams was then coached by Patrick Mouratoglou, who owns the Academy, and he created this unique opportunity for them to cross paths for the first time.
Williams' advice for Gauff was to mind her own business and focus on her own game all the time. She revealed this in a recent interview with Vogue Magazine.
"It was just kind of like: ‘Focus on your growth and your own rate of success, not other people’s.’"
She's tried to live her life like that for much of the time, focusing only on herself and refusing any comparisons with other players. She has had her own journey, and so far, it's been a really good one.
She's still very young and already has a Grand Slam to her name. If Gauff keeps following the advice, she'll only get better and better as a player and create more and more legacy.
That's probably also why Williams gave her the advice, so she can follow her dream, and the rest will settle as it will. That's what Serena did, and it worked out really well for her.
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