"Venus Williams is always commenting on my stuff on Instagram and it's pretty cool" - Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff recently revealed that she is in regular contact with both Serena and Venus Williams.
The American rose to fame as a 15-year-old in 2019 when she beat Venus Williams in the first round at Wimbledon. She went on to reach the fourth round of the British Major before losing to eventual champion Simona Halep.
Speaking to People Magazine, Gauff said she talks with both Williams sisters but is closer to Venus. The teenager further pointed out that the 41-year-old always comments on her Instagram posts, which she thinks is "pretty cool."
"We all talk," Gauff said about the Williams sisters. "Definitely on Instagram, [Venus is] always commenting on my stuff, and it's pretty cool. She always mentions me on her lives or interviews, and I'm like, 'This is crazy.' Every time, I would say I'm pretty ecstatic when she does that because I don't expect it at all."
Coco Gauff is proud of her friendship with Venus Williams and it's so sweet how she talks about it ❤️
thegrio.com/2022/03/03/coc…
"It's definitely a different amount of pressure" - Coco Gauff on being the youngest in the WTA's top 100
Coco Gauff is currently ranked 19th in the world and at 17 years of age is the youngest player in the top 100 of the WTA rankings.
The American feels being the less experienced player in most of her matchups adds a little pressure.
"It's definitely a different amount of pressure, I would say," Gauff said. "Most of the time, I'm still younger than most of the opponents I play — or, actually, pretty much everyone I've played I've been younger than, and way less experienced. But I've been the favorite to win, and that's definitely a transition that I would say that was kind of hard to make: to being the underdog, to then being the favorite."
Gauff started the 2022 season with a second-round exit at the Adelaide International 1 after taking the first set off World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty. She followed this up with a semi-final run at the Adelaide International 2.
The American suffered first-round exits at the Australian Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships. However, she followed this up with a good showing at the Qatar Open. Gauff beat Shelby Rogers and Caroline Garcia before shocking third seed Paula Badosa to advance to the quarterfinals. She was eventually beaten by Maria Sakkari in straight sets.
Maria Sakkari into to her 1st WTA 1000 semifinal since 2021 Miami, d. Coco Gauff 63 63 in Doha.
Into her 2nd SF of the season, Sakkari has now reached the SFs or better in 6 of her last 9 events.
Faces Sabalenka or Swiatek for a spot in her 1st WTA 1000 final.
#QatarTennis https://t.co/Jb59YqwnZW
Next up for Gauff is the Indian Wells Open. The 17-year-old lost to Badosa in the second round last year and will be eager to go deeper this time around.