"Not really shocking, I knew it was coming" Gauff on Serena Williams retiring
Coco Gauff can be the next very successful American player after Serena Williams retires and the teenager doesn't hide her admiration for the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
Coco Gauff and Serena Williams are both present in Toronto and they both succeeded in their first round matches in Canada. After the more experienced American announced her retirement, the teenage sensation spoke about her idol retiring, when she said:
“I knew it was coming eventually,” Gauff commented. “I didn’t know if it was going to be this US Open or the next one. (It’s) not really shocking, but almost shocking news because she’s just been playing forever — my whole life."
"(I’m) a little bit sad because I have always wanted to play her. So I’m hoping that my draw in Cincinnati or (the) US Open or even here can work out so we can play each other. Because that’s just one of my goals.”
“The legacy that she’s left through her tennis career is something that I don’t think any other player can probably touch,” Gauff added. “I think that the legacy that she will continue to leave throughout her life is something that can inspire many more generations.”
“I grew up watching her,” Coco Gauff said of Serena. “I mean, that’s the reason why I play tennis. Tennis being a predominantly white sport, [the Williams sisters’ presence] definitely helped a lot because I saw somebody who looked like me dominating the game. It made me believe that I could dominate, too.
“I think her whole story — the Williams sisters’ story, not just Serena, with Mr. Williams and all that he’s done for both of them — inspired my dad to continue to coach me and help me even though he had not really much tennis experience. But he was like, ‘If Mr. Williams can do it, then I can.’
“I think it’s not so much just what Serena and Venus have left; it’s also the whole Williams family in general.”
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