In this series, the Young Guns of the Future, we showcase the best youngsters on show and we begin this series with 15-year-old Cori Gauff. Gauff, holder of a few records even at this young age is one to watch.
You already know how great the future of a person is going to like if you have been hearing the name for a few years and in this case, she is only 15 years old.
That, to most, is pure and unique excitement. Through the years we have been hearing a lot of names, and even though they are not old enough to be driving a car, they have already beaten some top players on tour.
Cori Gauff, best known as Coco won the Orange Bowl in 2012 when she was only eight years old. The rest has been history. Since then, she has been breaking record after record.
Gauff was the youngest ever finalist in the girls’ singles event at the 2017 US Open, losing to fellow American, Amanda Anisimova. She did not drop a set in her way to the final.
She knew, and the tennis world knew that this was just the beginning.
A year later she would return to the spotlight, but this time she lifted the bigger trophy. At Roland Garros, less than a year later since her first grand slam junior final beating Caty McNally, who she would partner with to eventually win the doubles title at the U.S Open that same year.
At the moment she holds the number one spot in the juniors world ranking in singles, and in the doubles category she is second in the world, and do not forget, she is still 15. Yes, just 15!
In the third week of March, she rewrote history again by winning her first ever WTA tour level match at the Miami Open, beating long-time doubles partner and rival, McNally.
Once during an interview she stated that she “wanted to be the greatest of all time”, and that is nothing new to our ears; in fact, that has to be the mindset of every tennis player, because the road to professionalism is not easy, but the reward is (incomparable).
What sets Coco apart from the rest of the other junior players and even the young professional players is that she is letting her racquet do the talking, sending all of us one message: that she has what it takes to make her words come true.
It would be interesting to watch her career grow as she becomes one of our youngsters to watch out for the future.
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