Ever since she made her inevitable presence felt in 2019, besting Venus Williams, at Wimbledon, Coco Gauff has been on an upward trajectory. In case you haven’t noticed, she’s been slowly mirroring her idol and 23-time slam queen Serena Williams. How? When she clinched the US Open in 2023, Gauff became the first teenager, since ReRe in 1999, to win the trophy at Flushing Meadows. Then last season, she became the first American, in a decade, to win the WTA Finals trophy. Before her, the last American WTA pro to clinch the event was Serena. Considering such patterns, you may wonder: is Gauff really the next Williams? Even Serena’s childhood coach Rick Macci believes that both of them share “common elements”. And why not? Serena’s impact on Gauff has been huge and she just made it evident once again at the French Open.
Gauff kicked off her clay campaign in Paris on Tuesday. In the first round, she ousted Australia’s Olivia Gadecki in straight sets (6-2, 6-2). After the match, the World No.2 sat down for a press conference where. Along with questions on her performance and on-court moments, she was also asked regarding former WTA legend William’s everlasting impact on rising American players.
To be precise, more American presence can be seen in the top 200 players on the WTA side. There are 23 women in the list right now. Reflecting on this growth, Gauff said, “I think it means a lot to all of us. I think we all root for each other, and to have like your compatriots on tour makes it a lot easier. Having people that you can call and go to dinner with, and you know, deal with this life because no one knows how it is except, you know, the players on tour and just to have so many options for friends so many options for practice so many options for doubles like it just nice.”
Further, she spoke about Serena Williams’ deep impact and how she’s influenced young players to take up the sport. “Serena has inspired so many to play tennis, including me. She definitely has a lot of credit when it comes to getting racquets into people’s hands. The more racquets you get into people’s hands, the more chances you have for people to do great on tour. It’s great to be a part of that.”
Coco Gauff was asked about how it makes her feel that Serena Williams’ legacy is living on with so many American players doing well:
“Serena has inspired so many to play tennis, including me. She definitely has a lot of credit when it comes to getting racquets into people’s… pic.twitter.com/zpXCL06526
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 28, 2025
Even when Williams was inducted into TIME100’s list of most influential people last month, Gauff sung her praises. “Most influential people of all time, I mean, that’s an incredible accomplishment that she definitely deserves,” she said as reported by Tennis Channel on April 17. “She probably influenced millions, and I’m one of them. Not only in tennis but worldwide, just to be strong women and especially women of color.”
While Gauff has been able to make a strong start to her French Open campaign, her compatriots have fared worse. For example, Emma Navarro faced a shocking defeat at the hands of Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first round. The Spaniard ousted the 2025 Merida Open champion in just 57 minutes with a brutal score line of 6-0, 6-1. Peyton Stearns, who shined in Rome few days ago, also failed to win. In the opener, Germany’s Eva Lys eliminated her in straight sets with a score line of 6-0, 6-3.
On the men’s side, the biggest upset came in the form of Taylor Fritz. On Monday, Germany’s 66-ranked Daniel Altmaier bested the 2024 US Open finalist and World No.4 in four sets. He beat him with a score line of 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1. Gauff’s still there, continuing her quest to win her maiden French Open trophy. On Thursday, she will try to take a step closer to it.
Coco Gauff to face slam debutant Tereza Valentova in French Open
Czechia’s Tereza Valentova is playing her maiden Grand Slam campaign this week. In the qualifying rounds, she secured her spot in the main draws after defeating Simona Waltert. Then in the first round, on Tuesday, she registered her maiden victory in a slam event. Valentova ousted France’s Frenchwoman Chloé Paquet. She made it to the next stage with a score line of 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. In the second round, she will face a solid opponent in Coco Gauff.
Speaking of the American, she didn’t have much of an issue in winning her first round battle against Australia’s Gadecki. However, there was one major aspect that did bother her. “I knew the conditions were going to be difficult,” she revealed as reported by WTA’s website on May 27.
“It’s kind of one of those matches I went into knowing it wasn’t going to be pretty tennis all the time. I think it just, with that mindset going in, it just makes you feel better necessarily when you aren’t winning the points the way you kind of want to,” she added.
It was her 21st main draw win at the French Open. Now she would like to extend the streak further against Valentova. Coco Gauff’s best run in Paris came three years ago when she reached the summit clash. Unfortunately, Iga Swiatek broke her dream back then. This time, the American WTA star will try to do one better. What are your thoughts on her prospects on the Parisian clay this season? Let us know in the comments below.
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