Coco Gauff acknowledged the importance of having her father by her side in every aspect of life and tennis career.
Coco's father, Corey, has been ever-present throughout her development as a fully-fledged tennis pro. He quit his corporate job in order to spend his time learning the sport of tennis and coaching her daughter to become the star she is today.
Recently, former ATP World No. 1 Andy Roddick - a staunch supporter of Coco - spoke highly of Coco Gauff's father in an episode on his podcast. He praised Corey for not being self-centered, especially when he knew the right time to step away from coaching duties and hand over the reins to Pere Riba and Brad Gilbert.
The 19-year-old thanked Roddick for his sentiments and explained to reporters during her pre-tournament press confidence at the Qatar Open how she is grateful to have such an affectionate figure like her father in an incredibly complex world where some households are not accorded parental love.
"Yeah, I think that for me it was a great thing that Andy (Roddick) said that, and I'm really happy that he said that, because, you know, in tennis there are situations where parents in general in the past have been not as kind and kind of terrible to their kids."
"And I know that they have that stigma. The world in general, especially in America with Black fathers, it's always a thing that Black fathers aren't in their kids' lives or that they are not great leaders or households, great fathers."
Furthermore, the World No. 3 praised her father and believes he is equally deserving of her success and accomplishments even though he has shied from taking all the plaudits. Gauff admits she is in her current position solely because of her father's dedication and perseverance.
"So when Andy said that, I think people actually listened, because I always talk about how great my dad is, but some people believe me and some people don't, but my dad is truly a great father. He's done everything to get me where I am, and I'm glad that other people see that."
"He's not the type of person to be in the front spotlight. He's not the type of person to try to take anything away from my accomplishments, but he definitely is -- everything I have accomplished is definitely his accomplishments too, because I wouldn't be here without him."
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