Coco Gauff is young enough to be Serena Williams’ daughter.
Gauff laughs about how she missed some of her idol’s career because she hadn’t been born yet. But she will never forget the first time she met Williams, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. She was 9 years old and said Serena isn’t even aware of it.
The 40-year-old Williams will play her final tournament at the U.S. Open, and will open up Monday night against 80th-ranked Danka Kovinic.
At Media Day on Friday, Williams was a no-show, but others waxed eloquent about the greatest women’s player of all time — a pioneer who helped inspire young black kids, such as Gauff.
Gauff, the 18-year-old, up-and-coming star from Delray Beach, Fla., a few towns down the coast from where Williams lives, said their first meeting came at a commercial shoot.
“She definitely doesn’t know this,’’ Gauff said. “They needed a stunt double to play a young version of her [from] just the face down. I think it was for a Delta commercial. I don’t think they ever used it, but that was, like, my first check I ever got as a kid. She doesn’t know this, but the first money I ever made for myself was because of her doing a commercial.
“I met her. I stopped by her trailer, took a picture. She probably doesn’t even know. My mom actually sent me a picture, like, a couple weeks ago of me waiting, getting my hair done by the people.”
Williams isn’t close to many on the tour as she’s quite older than most of the women. Though they both live in Palm Beach County, Gauff just sees her at tennis tournaments.
“I don’t speak to her all the time,’’ Gauff said. “We’re completely two different ages. When I do see her at the tournaments, yeah, I speak to her a little bit.”
If the Williams sisters hadn’t emerged as superstars of the sport, Gauff said she may never have pursued tennis with such gusto.
“I think really just the way she was able to transform a sport that’s predominantly white,’’ Gauff said. “That’s something that as a little girl — and even now — meant a lot to me. Especially, like, growing up, before I was born, there wasn’t many [black tennis players] before Serena came along. There was not really an icon of the sport that looked like me.
“So growing up I never thought that I was different because the No. 1 player in the world was somebody who looked like me. I think that’s the biggest thing that I can take from what I’ve learned from Serena.
“On a more personal level, I got to have a couple conversations with her later on in life. I think it’s just the way that she handles herself. She never puts herself down. I love that she always elevates herself. Sometimes being a woman, a black woman in the world, you kind of settle for less. I feel like Serena taught me that, from watching her, she never settled for less.’’
Williams isn’t expected to win this U.S. Open after taking nearly a year off due to injuries and playing just four matches (with a 1-3 record) since her return at Wimbledon. But 23 Grand Slam titles (one short of tying Margaret Court’s record of 24) will earn her the prime slot on the women’s tennis Mount Rushmore.
“She won her first U.S. Open years before I was born,’’ Gauff said. “I have seen her career my whole life. But part of it I didn’t see. I missed a lot of it. Even at that point, it seemed super-long. I think it’s hard to dominate for generations. She showed that, but that’s why for me, like, she’s always going to be considered the G.O.A.T. She didn’t dominate one generation. She didn’t dominate for two generations. She dominated for three-plus generations.’’
As for Gauff, she’s getting there despite being upset in the third-round at Wimbledon earlier this summer. She marched to the French Open finals in the spring and is ranked 12th in the world. One day, the charismatic Floridian could be as popular as Williams.
Gauff has yet to get past the third round of the U.S. Open, but this could be the time with her speed, 5-foot-9 height and blistering groundstrokes. She’s already No. 1 ranked in doubles, with fellow American Jessica Pegula as partner. Consistency is Gauff’s final hurdle.
“Never thought [in] my goals, that I would be No. 1,’’ Gauff said. “Didn’t even know there were separate rankings from singles and doubles. Hopefully one day we can get the No. 1 singles ranking. I guess my goal now is to try to be No. 1 at them both at the same time. That might take some time, but that would be pretty cool, too.’’