Coco Gauff described her relationship with Serena Williams ahead of her Olympic Games debut.
The 20-year-old will finally have the chance to represent her country at the prestigious team event after missing the delayed Tokyo Games in 2021.
The World number two has long expressed her desire to win a medal at the Olympics and it will take place at a venue she knows so well at Roland Garros.
Gauff will aim for Olympic glory on the back of Williams, who enjoyed plenty of success at the event during her illustrious career.
How did Coco Gauff describe her relationship with Serena Williams?
Gauff announced herself to the tennis world at the age of 15 when she defeated Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019. The following year she was part of the US Fed Cup team alongside the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
Since then Gauff Williams has become someone Gauff can call a friend, which she mentioned in a letter she wrote on NBC Olympics’ website as something she still can’t quite fathom.
“While tennis is an individual sport, you relish the relationships with your teammates. You’ve been lucky enough that your on-court relationships have turned into off-court friendships. One of those notable friendships is with your idol, Serena Williams,” Gauff wrote.
“Serena was once just a stranger printed on a poster hanging in your room, and now you still can’t believe she’s a friend and mentor.
“Her profound impact on tennis, what it means to be a champion and to break barriers is a legacy you hope to uphold and carry with you into your first Olympic Games.”
What has Serena Williams said about Coco Gauff?
Gauff has issued a glowing assessment of Williams on several occasions and credited the former World number one for inspiring her to play tennis.
Gauff is aiming to become the first American woman since Williams to win an Olympic singles gold medal, which Serena accomplished in 2012.
After Gauff followed in Williams’ footsteps and claimed the US Open title in 2023, she congratulated Gauff on claiming her first Grand Slam title.
On her Instagram story she wrote: “Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!! Amazing!!!!!!!! @cocogauff”, across a photo of the teenager with the trophy. Following her victory in New York Gauff credited both Serena and Venus for how they changed tennis.
“They’re the reason why I have this trophy today,” she said. “To be honest, they’ve allowed me to believe in this dream. Growing up, there weren’t too many just black tennis players dominating the sport.
“It was literally at that time when I was younger, it was just them that I can remember. And obviously more came because of their legacy. So it made the dream more believable.”
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