Serena Williams’ Ex-coach Recalls 10-Year-Old Coco Gauff’s Mind-Blowing Confidence That Stunned Him

Do you know what makes the present generation of tennis stars different from the past generation? Well, it is the confidence. The current generation of stars, like Coco Gauff, is a confident lot and never shy of facing big challenges. Take the example of Gauff’s first Grand Slam match at the Wimbledon Championships back in 2019, where she defeated Venus Williams as a 15-year-old. The American sensation reached the fourth round of that tournament, and it set the stage for her to soar higher. As Gauff makes her mark in women’s tennis, Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, recounted an interesting incident involving Gauff during her childhood days.

Mouratoglou was Williams’ long-time coach and worked with the American legend for over 10 years, forming one of the most formidable partnerships. During his tenure, Williams won several big titles and broke several records. During that period, Mouratoglou also followed some of the upcoming stars like Gauff. During an interview with The Guardian, the legendary coach narrated an interesting anecdote about Gauff when she was just 10 years old.

Talking about this, Mouratoglou said, “Actually, when I interview young players, that’s what I’m trying to figure out. When you listen to them, they all say: “I want to be No 1 in the world.” But my first question is always: What’s your plan? I need to know: How much do you believe?”

Further, he added, “I remember when I did my interview with Coco Gauff when she first came to my academy at age 10, and leaving my office thinking her drive and self-belief was unbelievable for someone so young. And you see where she is now.”

This admission from Mouratoglou falls in line with Gauff’s own aspirations since she was a child. Striving to be the best has always been Gauff’s mantra. For example, let’s take her 2025 French Open run. Shortly after her title triumph, Gauff revealed a handwritten note where she had scribbled, “I will win French Open 2025,” a technique she confirmed to have been inspired by Olympian Gabby Thomas. Gauff has consistently made her affirmations come true, a fact that even Mouratoglou corroborates, regardless of her age.

While Gauff has won a couple of Grand Slam titles, she is still striving for consistency. In the recently concluded US Open, she suffered a shock fourth-round defeat at the hands of Naomi Osaka. Subsequently, former pro player Jimmy Arias was critical of Gauff’s pre-tournament preparations.

Age-old weakness continues to haunt Coco Gauff

Gauff’s early defeat at the tournaments can be attributed to one major weakness in her game – her serve. Before the US Open, Gauff replaced her coach with a biomechanics specialist with a view to improving her weaknesses. However, that move backfired as Gauff lost in the early rounds of the US Open. Arias highlighted this fact and revealed why Gauff got it all wrong.

He said, “I definitely would not be going over biomechanics days before the US Open. She was there practicing, you have no idea, for hours and hours and hours every day trying to get ready. I was thinking at the time watching it, it was the forehand as well, she is trying to break down her forehand technically as well.”

Even though Gauff has tasted success, there is still a lot of work to be done and an uphill climb ahead of her before she rules women’s tennis. Do you see Gauff dominating the WTA Tour in the near future? Let us know your views in the comments below.