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Coco Gauff, one of the most exciting rising stars in tennis, has chosen her career's top moments so far. She chose her run at her maiden Grand Slam appearance (2019 Wimbledon) and meetings with Michelle Obama and J. Cole as her two top moments.
The 18-year-old turned pro in 2018 and caught the attention of the tennis world at the 2019 Wimbledon when she was just 15. In the opening round, Gauff defeated her idol and seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in straight sets. She entered the main draw as a qualifier and reached the fourth round before losing to eventual winner Simona Halep.
In a recent conversation with Her Way magazine, Gauff was asked to mention on and off-court moments that she couldn't believe happened to her. Apart from the 2019 Wimbledon, she named her meetings with J. Cole (American rapper) and Michelle Obama, who served as the first lady of the US from 2009 to 2017.
"I think the biggest thing I couldn't believe happened to me, there's a couple, I would say meeting J Cole. He's one of my favorite rappers, probably my favorite rapper," Gauff said.
"Meeting the former first lady Michelle Obama, that was insane. And then like on the court, definitely the whole Wimbledon run. It's one of those things that I know happened in real life but it feels like a dream. So yeah, I would say those are the top three things for me," Coco Gauff added.
Michelle Obama has been an admirer of the young tennis player for a long time. The former first lady congratulated Gauff on completing high school graduation last year before the French Open kicked off in May. Obama also complimented her for reaching the finals in Paris. Their first meeting happened during the 2019 Citi Open.
"I want every year to be the best year of my career" - Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff reached her maiden Grand Slam final at the 2022 French Open, where she lost to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek. The American also broke into the top five of the WTA singles rankings while becoming the top player in the doubles category.
She recently weighed in on her 2022 season, calling it the best year of her career so far, and hopes to improve every year in the future.
"It was a really good year. I mean, you know, when you experience those down parts of losing a Grand Slam final and losing those tough matches, it makes you feel like you didn't do good," Coco Gauff said.
"But if you look at it overall, it was definitely an amazing year for me, the best year of my career so far. And I think that's kind of what I want. I want every year to be the best year of my career so far, and like, that's what I love to see," she concluded.
