"Try to emulate, but not an exact copy" - Coco Gauff on being a 'different player' than Serena Williams despite drawing inspiration from her 'idol'
Coco Gauff has opened up about drawing inspiration from her idol Serena Williams, emphasizing her desire to "emulate the best." Gauff also reflected on how Serena and Venus Williams were the only representations of Black women in tennis during her childhood.
Following her triumph at the China Open, Gauff is set to commence her campaign at the Wuhan Open, aiming to clinch the WTA 1000 title on her tournament debut. Ahead of her opening match, the 20-year-old provided valuable advice to aspiring Chinese stars hoping to make a name in tennis after Zheng Qinwen's gold medal win at the Paris Olympics.
Speaking in her pre-tournament press conference, Coco Gauff urged young players to pay attention to their idols and use them as a source of inspiration. She explained how, as a Black woman growing up in the United States, she naturally gravitated towards Venus and Serena Williams.
However, while the World No. 4 advised rising stars to emulate their idols, she also emphasized the importance of carving out their own identity. She highlighted that, despite her admiration for the 23-time Grand Slam champion, they were completely different players.
"Yeah, I think for me like the advice I have just for any tennis player, but especially Chinese, I think me growing up as a black woman in America, not having seen that much representation in the sport of tennis, where it was just Serena and Venus, I think really pay attention to the people playing in the sport," Coco Gauff said.
"It's great to see Qinwen doing well on tour. Pay attention to your idols, try to emulate, but not an exact copy. Use them as inspiration. For me, my idol was Serena, so I tried her for as much inspiration as I can from her. We're two different players," she added.
Gauff also shared an empowering message, encouraging young players to not be held back by their circumstances or background and imploring them to ignore any naysayers.
"I think for me, if you want to be the best, you have to emulate the best. I think just pay attention to tennis as much as you can, whether it's me or another player, Qinwen or whoever. Also don't let your circumstances or background affect your dream. No matter where you come from, it's possible. Yeah, don't let anyone tell you otherwise," Gauff said.
"Anytime my name is mentioned in whatever sentence Serena Williams' is, it's a huge honor" - Coco Gauff after China Open triumph
Coco Gauff's efforts to emulate Serena Williams recently paid off, as she became the first American woman to triumph at the China Open since the 23-time Grand Slam champion's victory in 2013. Gauff also achieved the feat of becoming the first woman to win each of her first seven tour-level hardcourt finals.
Speaking in her post-match press conference, the 20-year-old opened up about the "huge honor" of following in Williams' footsteps. Gauff also disclosed that she wanted to see another player surpass her feat, emphasizing that records were meant to be broken.
"Especially honestly it means a lot when I saw that the last American woman to win this was Serena Williams. Honestly, anytime my name is mentioned in whatever sentence hers is, it's like a huge honor to do something no one has ever done before. It is pretty cool. I didn't know that was on the line," Coco Gauff said.
"I don't know if it would have affected my mentality today. That's pretty cool. I hope somebody else breaks it. I think records are meant to be broken, honestly," she added.
Following a first-round bye, Coco Gauff will square off against Viktoriya Tomova in her opening match at the Wuhan Open. If the American triumphs over Tomova, she will take on Amanda Anisimova or Marta Kostyuk in the third round of the WTA event.