Coco Gauff has never hidden her admiration for Serena Williams, but the way she describes their first real-life encounter captures just how overwhelming that moment truly was.
For a young player still finding her footing on the professional tour, seeing her lifelong idol up close felt almost unreal, an experience that continues to shape how she views greatness, pressure, and her own evolving legacy in tennis.
Recalling that moment years later, Gauff offered a vivid description that quickly went viral for its honesty and emotion.
“I just remember her walking by, and it just felt not real. You could have told me that was Jesus,” the two-time singles Major champion told Forbes.
That sense of disbelief speaks volumes about the towering presence Williams carried within the sport.
Long before Gauff became a Grand Slam champion herself, Williams was already a mythic figure, someone whose achievements and aura transcended tennis. For Gauff, the moment was less about words exchanged and more about the feeling of witnessing greatness in motion.
As Gauff‘s own career has progressed, comparisons to Williams have become inevitable. Yet the 21-year-old has been clear that she does not allow those parallels to become a burden.
Speaking candidly at the 2022 Guadalajara Open, she explained why trying to replicate Williams‘ achievements is neither realistic nor necessary.
“I think her legacy is something that is going to be hard for anyone to carry out, so I’m not going to place that pressure on myself. Also, I mean, her legacy no matter if someone does get to – she has 23 – if someone gets to 23 again, I still think that her legacy will stand alone on its own. So it’s not something that I feel pressure to fulfill,” Coco Gauff said.
Why Serena Williams’ legacy stands alone
Rather than chasing records, Gauff has focused on absorbing lessons from the players she grew up watching.
When asked to rank the greatest women’s players of all time, she offered a thoughtful breakdown that revealed both her tennis knowledge and her personal connection to the sport’s history.
“Chris Evert is up there, Martina Navratilova for sure, and then Steffi Graf. I feel like I have to put Venus up there, and then number one for me, that’s the only, this is the only position that’s not interchangeable is for sure Serena Williams. I think that she’s obviously the greatest, and I think that her mindset, her athletic ability, her power, her personality and like presence that she led in the sport, I think is very inspiring, so to me that’s why she’s my favorite.”
That admiration has not prevented Gauff from carving out her own identity. Since breaking through as a teenager, she has built a résumé that includes multiple Grand Slam titles, a reputation as one of the tour’s most mentally resilient competitors, and a growing voice off the court.
Still, the influence of Williams is evident in how Gauff approaches pressure, embraces confidence, and speaks openly about ambition.
While Williams‘ playing days are over, her impact continues to ripple through the next generation. For Gauff, that impact is deeply personal, rooted in a single, unforgettable moment that felt larger than sport itself.
And as her career continues to unfold, Gauff‘s reflections make one thing clear: honoring a legend does not mean trying to replace her, but understanding why her presence was once powerful enough to feel unreal.
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