A new mini-documentary uncovers Coco Gauff’s rich family heritage and strong legacy that have driven her to where she is today.
When the Grand Slam champion returned to her hometown for a moving look back at where it all started, her mother, Candi Gauff, commemorated her daughter’s story in a poignant way.
Coco Gauff Looks Back on Her Ascension and the Family Heritage That Drives Her
In a Rolex documentary, Coco Gauff returns to her hometown in Delray Beach, Florida, and explains how her family and neighborhood influenced her tennis career. Inspired by Serena Williams, she began playing tennis with her father on neighborhood courts and rapidly emerged, winning a breakthrough at Wimbledon 2019 by defeating one of her idols, Venus Williams.
However, success came with pressure. Gauff endured setbacks, including a crushing defeat at the French Open final in 2022. Despite it all, her family legacy kept her humble.
Her grandmother, Yvonne Odom, was the first Black student to integrate Atlantic High School, and her grandfather assisted in leading one of Florida’s initial African American Little Leagues. Their strength inspired Gauff to remain strong and focused.
A Grand Slam winner now, the 21-year-old lives by the motto on her sneakers: “You can change the world with your racket.”
Coco Gauff’s mother, Candi, posted the documentary on her Instagram stories and captioned it with two red heart emojis.
Coco Gauff recently concluded her Italian Open campaign with a solid performance, advancing to her second consecutive WTA 1000 final. In Rome, she beat Victoria Mboko, Magda Linette, Emma Raducanu, Mirra Andreeva, and Zheng Qinwen to advance to the final, where she lost 4-6, 2-6 to sixth seed Jasmine Paolini.
In the women’s doubles tournament, Gauff teamed with Alexandra Eala, and the team reached the quarterfinals before losing a close three-setter to the Italian team of Paolini and Sara Errani.
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Coco Gauff Prepares for Her Sixth Main Draw Appearance in Roland Garros
Since her debut at the French Open in 2020, where she lost in the second round to Italian qualifier Martina Trevisan, Coco Gauff has registered consistent improvement on the Paris red clay.
Her record in the tournament has been a quarterfinal appearance in 2021 and 2023, a runner-up finish in 2022 to Iga Swiatek, and a semifinal run in 2024.