3 milestones Coco Gauff could achieve at Wimbledon 2024
Wimbledon has been a happy hunting ground for Coco Gauff, who had her big breakthrough at the Slam a few years ago. The youngster had ousted Venus Williams en-route to the fourth round as a 15-year-old back in 2019.
Back at the All England Club as a Grand Slam champion, Gauff is a much-bigger name and has more pressure on her to perform well on the big stage.
This year’s tournament holds additional significance as it marks the first time that the American is seeded as high as No. 2. Besides a second Grand Slam title, there are a handful of other milestones in sight for Gauff. Here, we have listed them out for you:
Coco Gauff could become the youngest Wimbledon champ in two decades
At 20 years old, Coco Gauff is one of the youngest players in this year’s Wimbledon draw. Gauff, as she has shown in the past, knows a thing or two about showing that age is just a number.
Gauff had her big breakthrough at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships as a 15-year-old. Not only did she beat Venus Williams on her debut, but she also went on to make the fourth round with wins over the likes of Magdalena Rybarikova and Polona Hercog.
If she were to go all the way this year, she would become the youngest player to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish in two decades. The last time a younger player won the title was Maria Sharapova in 2004. The then 17-year-old had lifted her first Grand Slam trophy after stunning Serena Williams in the final,
The closest second would come at the 2011 Wimbledon, when Petra Kvitova won the first of her two crowns at the All England Club, beating none other than Sharapova in the summit clash.
Coco could become the first American since Serena Williams to win multiple Grand Slams
While Sofia Kenin came close, Serena Williams remains the last American player to have lifted multiple Grand Slam trophies.
The likes of Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova (in the latter half of her career) Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capraiati, and the Williams sisters ensured American dominance in tennis for a long period of time. However, the influence has waned since.
Before Coco Gauff won the 2023 U.S. Open, Sofia Kenin was the last American to lift a Grand Slam trophy. She had triumphed at the 2020 Australian Open and came close to doubling up that figure at the French Open later that year, but was stopped by Iga Swiatek.
If Coco Gauff were to win Wimbledon this year, it would mark the first time since Serena Williams that an American player would have multiple Slam trophies.
Coco could become the youngest player to win Slams on different surfaces since Maria Sharapova
Coco Gauff’s first Grand Slam title came on the hardcourts at home as she lifted the U.S. Open last year, beating Aryna Sabalenka in the summit clash.
If she were to capture a second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon this year, it would make her the youngest player to win big on two different surfaces — grass and hard, in this case — since Maria Sharapova in 2006.
Having captured her first Grand Slam title at the 2004 Wimbledon as a 17-year-old, Sharapova quickly rose to the top of the game. She came into the 2006 U.S. Open as the third seed and a talented prospect. The Russian beat the likes of Li Na, the then World No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo and Justine Henin en-route to the title. She was still a teenager when she won the hardcourt Slam.
At 20, Gauff is just a year older. With a long career ahead of her, a win at this year’s Wimbledon could place her on a path to success.