“Coco Gauff is an Olympic sprinter, Serena Williams is an Olympic champion, both gems cut from the same stone” – Williams’ ex-coach Rick Macci

 

 

 

Coco Gauff has made a brilliant start to her 2024 Australian Open champaign, advancing to the quarterfinals of the tournament. She defeated players including Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, Caroline Dolehide, Alycia Parks, and Magdalena Frech to secure her spot among the final eight.

During a press conference at the Melbourne Slam, Gauff talked about her past involvement in other sports – basketball and track, before fully committing to a professional tennis career. She revealed that she would have been a track runner but now primarily engages in running solely during her cardio sessions.

“I did do track and basketball. I really love track. I think I would have been a good 400 runner,” Coco Gauff said. “I’ve actually never really timed myself like just a straight, like, sprint. The only times I’m on the track is for cardio, and we’re doing a lot of them.”

The World No. 3 added that, although she had chosen tennis as her desired professional sport, her parents urged her to continue playing basketball and participating in track running alongside tennis.

Gauff shared that she had to pass up the opportunity to participate in an All-Star game in 2017 after reaching the singles final at the junior US Open, where she finished second-best to Amanda Anisimova.

“My parents always never wanted me to specify in a sport, which is why when I was 13, I knew that I was going to play tennis, but they still put me in basketball and track. I ended up missing my All-Star game because I had to play the junior US Open. I made the finals of that tournament,” Gauff added.

Coco Gauff will face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open on Tuesday, January 23