Coco Gauff: The Teenage Tennis Prodigy Who Took the World by Storm
Last updated: August 12, 2026
Coco Gauff is one of the brightest young stars American tennis has produced in years. Before she turned 20, she had already beaten Venus Williams on the world's biggest stage, reached World No. 1 in doubles, and played in a Grand Slam singles final. This is the story of how she got there.
Chapter 1: A Love for Tennis Sparked at Age Four
Coco Gauff was born on March 13, 2004, to Candi and Corey Gauff. Her father played basketball at Georgia State University before working as a healthcare executive, while her mother competed in track and field and later worked as an educator at Florida State University.
Coco discovered tennis at age four, after watching Serena Williams win the 2009 Australian Open. Her parents introduced her to several sports, including basketball and track, but tennis is what stuck. She has said she preferred it because it was an individual sport — in her own words, she "wasn't much of a teammate."
She picked up her first racket seriously at age six, and by eight, she had already won her first age-group national title.
Chapter 2: Moving to Florida to Chase the Dream
When Coco was seven, her family moved back to Delray Beach, Florida, so she could access better coaching. She trained at the New Generation Tennis Academy under Gerard Loglo from age eight. Her parents made a big sacrifice around this time — both stepped back from their careers to focus on Coco's development. Her father became her primary coach, despite having limited playing experience himself, while her mother oversaw her homeschooling.
At age ten, Coco began training at the Mouratoglou Academy in France, run by Patrick Mouratoglou, best known as Serena Williams' longtime coach. Mouratoglou later recalled being struck by her determination and athleticism the very first time he saw her play, back in 2014.
That same year, Coco became the youngest-ever champion of the USTA Clay Court National Under-12 and Under-10 Championships, winning at just 10 years and 3 months old.
Chapter 3: A Dominant Run Through the Junior Ranks
Gauff began competing on the ITF Junior Circuit at just 13 years old, jumping straight into top-level Grade A and Grade 1 events. She was runner-up at the Prince George's County Junior Tennis Championships in Maryland — only her third professional-level event.
At the 2017 US Open Junior Championships, Gauff reached the final, losing to Amanda Anisimova. She didn't drop a set on her way to either of those two finals and became the youngest girls' singles finalist in US Open history.
The following year, she won the Junior French Open singles title, becoming the world's No. 1 junior player. She also teamed up with Caty McNally to win the junior doubles title at the 2018 US Open.
Chapter 4: Turning Pro and Early Struggles
Gauff made her professional debut on the ITF Women's Circuit in May 2018, winning her first pro match as a qualifier at a $25K event in Osprey, Florida. She received a wild card into US Open qualifying but lost her opening match, just months after turning 14.
In early 2019, she reached the doubles final of the $100K Midland Tennis Classic and, two weeks later, reached both the singles and doubles finals at a $25K event in Surprise, Arizona. She won her first professional title in doubles there, though she came up short in singles.
In March 2019, Gauff made her WTA main draw debut as a wild card at the Miami Open, picking up her first WTA-level match win against Caty McNally before losing to Daria Kasatkina.
Chapter 5: The Wimbledon Breakthrough (2019)
Everything changed that summer. Gauff received a wild card into Wimbledon 2019 and became the youngest player ever to qualify for a Grand Slam main draw. In the first round, she faced her childhood idol, Venus Williams — and beat her in straight sets. The result made headlines around the world.
Gauff went on to reach the fourth round, with each of her matches drawing huge television audiences throughout the first week. Weeks later, still only 15, she reached the third round of the US Open. That year, she also won her first WTA singles title at the Linz Open in Austria.
Chapter 6: Building Her Game (2020)
Starting 2020 ranked No. 67, Gauff opened her season in Auckland, New Zealand, reaching the doubles semifinals with McNally. At the Australian Open, she beat Venus Williams again in the first round, then defeated defending champion Naomi Osaka in the third round — becoming the youngest player to beat a top-5 opponent since Jennifer Capriati in 1991. She eventually fell to eventual champion Sofia Kenin in the fourth round.
Chapter 7: Steady Progress (2021)
Gauff began 2021 ranked No. 48. She had solid early-season runs at Abu Dhabi and the Gippsland Trophy, falling in the second round of each. At the Australian Open, she lost in the second round to fifth seed Elina Svitolina. In doubles with McNally, she reached the quarterfinals at both the Yarra Valley Classic and the Australian Open.
Chapter 8: Grand Slam Finals and World No. 1 in Doubles (2022)
2022 marked Gauff's biggest year yet. In February, she reached the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open in singles, and won her first WTA 1000 doubles title there alongside Jessica Pegula — a result that pushed her to a career-high No. 10 in doubles rankings.
Then came the 2022 French Open. Gauff worked her way through the draw, beating Rebecca Marino, Alison Van Uytvanck, Kaia Kanepi, 31st seed Elise Mertens, Sloane Stephens, and Martina Trevisan to reach her first Grand Slam singles final. She lost to World No. 1 Iga Świątek in straight sets, but the run made her the youngest Grand Slam singles finalist in years, and it pushed her further up the WTA rankings than ever before. She also reached the doubles final at the same tournament with Pegula — you can read the full French Open final results here.
Gauff has stayed a fixture on the WTA tour ever since, building on this breakthrough season year after year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old was Coco Gauff when she beat Venus Williams?
She was 15 years old, at Wimbledon in 2019.
What was Coco Gauff's first WTA singles title?
The 2019 Linz Open in Austria.
Did Coco Gauff win the 2022 French Open?
No. She reached the final but lost to Iga Świątek in straight sets.
Where did Coco Gauff train as a junior?
She trained at the New Generation Tennis Academy in Florida and later at the Mouratoglou Academy in France.
Who is Coco Gauff's tennis idol?
Serena Williams — Gauff has said watching Serena win the 2009 Australian Open is what got her into tennis.