Coco Gauff has been winding down after another busy season on the WTA Tour, but she has little time until the 2026 season begins.
Gauff will play at the 2026 United Cup in January, having played a key role as the USA won the tournament last time out.
She also enjoyed fantastic individual success on the WTA Tour in 2025, winning one of her two titles at the French Open.
The 21-year-old is now a two-time Grand Slam champion, with her superb tennis journey having been inspired by legendary figure Serena Williams.
The best piece of advice Serena Williams has ever given Coco Gauff
Gauff has now shared insight into her relationship with the 23-time Grand Slam champion, having been asked by Forbes if she remembers their first encounter.
She said: “Yeah I think I was like 10 or 11 years old, and they actually needed a body double for a shoot that she was doing to play a younger version of her.
“And so at the last minute, they asked me to do it and I did it, and I got to meet her at the shoot. I don’t even know if she knew I played tennis at the time or anything like that, but she was just so kind.
“And I think later on in the shoot someone must have told her that I play tennis, so she was just like, ‘Oh, keep believing in yourself, work hard’, the typical rundown.
“But as a kid you’re just grasping onto everything. And I just remember her walking by and it just felt like, not real.”
And when asked if that is the best piece of advice Williams has given her, she said: “No, over time when I grew up and she started to grasp maybe who I was, I think for me, she told me that there’s ups and downs on this journey, and also with the outside noise and things like that, and just trying to focus on your pathway, and your expectations of yourself and not expectations placed by others, because obviously she’s the GOAT, so she had to experience so much pressure. So just trying to remind me of that.”
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Coco Gauff shares what Serena Williams’ influence means to her
With Gauff still a relatively fresh face on the WTA Tour and with Williams retiring in 2022, the duo never played against each other in an official match.
The former was also tasked with discussing just what the latter’s influence has meant to her, and indeed continues to do so.
READ MORE: Coco Gauff says how she feels about crying on court at the US Open earlier this year
Gauff said: “It meant everything. I think for me just seeing someone that looked like me thriving in a sport like tennis, I felt like I could be something like that.
“I knew I would feel like I would never match what she has done for the sport, on and off the court, but I was like maybe I can just touch like a little bit of her success, and to have that representation meant a lot to me.
“Even the few times I’ve met her, I would just grasp every word she said. Even now she’ll text me sometimes and I still can’t believe that I have my idol’s number and she’s texting me. I’ll never not fan out about her.
“And I always make it a point for her to know, maybe she doesn’t know or maybe she does, like how much she meant to me, or means to me, just as being an icon of the sport.”
Would you be excited to watch Serena Williams in 2026?
Intriguingly, Gauff may just have been given hope that she may one day be able to play against her tennis idol.
Williams could return to tennis in 2026, although both a return and a meeting with Gauff on the court do seem unlikely.
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