What Coco Gauff once said made Serena Williams the greatest

What Coco Gauff once said made Serena Williams the greatest tennis player of all time

Coco Gauff is on track to enjoy a legendary career, and is widely considered one of the biggest names in tennis.

After all, she is a fine ambassador for the sport and a top talent, having already won two Grand Slam titles at the age of just 21.

However, with this promising start to her career, already the comparisons to Serena Williams have come. It really took no time at all.

READ: Coco Gauff admits to constantly ‘stealing’ from her mother

And yet, despite that immeasurable pressure to emulate arguably the greatest female tennis player of all time, Coco Gauff has responded to such claims with grace and intelligence.

Coco Gauff explains why Serena Williams is the GOAT

Speaking back in 2022 to the National Bank Open, Gauff was keen to reemphasise her point about Williams being the greatest.

This is not a controversial opinion, but it is interesting to see how it is justified, given that it can be argued.

The young American offered a rather staunch defence though, noting: “What makes her the GOAT is her personality and all that she’s done off the court to fight for equality, to fight for young players like me and continue to lead in the way that she does and I think that’s what we really should be focused on.

“That’s just Serena. I don’t think there will be anyone who can do what she did, with all the adversity that she had to face, I don’t think there will be another player that will do that.”

“She’s the GOAT. And undisputed too. In my opinion. But I don’t think that’s an opinion, it’s a fact.

“Serena for me is the GOAT. The GOAT of all GOATs. There will never be another Serena.”

What has Serena Williams said about Coco Gauff in the past?

Serena has also expressed her pride in Gauff’s career thus far too, outlining the immense mutual respect shared between these superstars.

In fact, whenever asked about the youngster, the 23-time Grand Slam champion is always keen to sing her praises.

Even after she beat Venus Williams, her sister, in her famous breakthrough run at Wimbledon in 2019, Serena admitted: “She’s just impressive all around, from her personality to the way she plays. I think it’s just all super impressive.

“I was nowhere near her level at 15 either on the court or off the court, not even close. I know kids are growing up different nowadays, so I’m not sure. But I was nowhere near as smart and eloquent as she is. It’s nice to see.”

Gauff has been praised for doing one thing better than any player since Serena, almost validating the comparisons. It remains to be seen how this will play out over the next decade or two.