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Coco Gauff names the four American women she would put on her Mount Rushmore for tennis

Coco Gauff plays at the 2025 Italian Open, inset Mount Rushmore National Monument in 2020
Credit: Domenico Cippitelli/NurPhoto/Scott Olson via Getty Images
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Coco Gauff has enjoyed a superb clay-court season so far, with her focus currently on the French Open.

Gauff has been told to lift her level by Jim Courier, after losing back-to-back finals at the Madrid Open and Italian Open.

The WTA number two lost to Aryna Sabalenka in Spain before suffering defeat to Jasmine Paolini in Rome.

But Gauff started her French Open tournament with a victory, defeating Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-2 in round one.

Chris Evert thinks Gauff needs to improve her serve going forward, with the latter securing a round two meeting with Tereza Valentova in Paris.

TENNIS-FRA-OPEN-2025
Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images

Coco Gauff names the four American women on her tennis Mount Rushmore

She was, however, tasked with taking a brief pause from her own game and asked to name her Mount Rushmore for American women’s tennis.

Situated in South Dakota, the national memorial honours George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

READ MORE: Coco Gauff and Madison Keys disagree over which male player is going to win the French Open this year

Coco Gauff celebrates her win over Olivia Gadecki at the 2025 French Open
Photo by Tim Clayton via Getty Images

Sharing her own version, Gauff told former professional John Isner on Bleacher Report: “Serena [Williams] has to go up there.

“I feel like Billie [Jean King] just because the impact she left on the game. Chris Evert. And I guess I have to go with Venus [Williams] too.”

Coco Gauff says what it would take for her to join American female legends

Gauff certainly hasn’t picked a bad group of players, with the four women having all gone down in tennis history for their remarkable feats.

Serena Williams boasts a stunning 23 Grand Slam singles titles, with her sister Venus Williams having won seven.

READ MORE: Venus Williams suggests the mistake Coco Gauff is making and tells her what she needs to change

Serena Williams and Venus Williams of the United States on Arthur Ashe Stadium during their Women's Doubles match against Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic during the US Open Tennis Championship 2022 at the USTA National Tennis Centre.
Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images

The duo also secured plenty of doubles success, while Evert and King emerged victorious in singles 18 and 12 times respectively.

Gauff meanwhile has one Grand Slam title to her name at this stage of her career, having won the 2023 US Open.

The 21-year-old beat Aryna Sabalenka in the New York final, a year after losing the French Open final to Iga Swiatek.

Currently in her career-high ranking of world number two, the American star has won nine WTA singles titles so far.

TitlesPlayerAustralian OpenFrench OpenWimbledonUS Open
23Serena Williams7376
18Chris Evert2736
12Billie Jean King1164
7Venus Williams0052
Grand Slam titles of Coco Gauff’s Mount Rushmore for tennis

She is, however, without a title in 2025 so far, with Gauff’s most recent success coming at the 2024 WTA Finals.

Asked what it would take for her to get on her own Mount Rushmore, she replied: “At least win a few more slams. At least double digits for slams, for sure! A lot more. Maybe I could be on the second or third tier.”