Over the last year, our own Contributing Writer, Tia Shah, has been writing an amazing column about trailblazing girls throughout history. This new Incredible Girls column is in that vein, only this column is about contemporary girls under the age of 25 who are doing awe-inspiring and significant things in the world. Every Friday in 2019, we are going to post a column detailing the life of an Incredible Girl and why you should know about her. Read on for a glimpse into the life of tennis champion, Cori Gauff.
What a perfect time to talk about American tennis player, Cori Gauff, in this week’s column — considering she’s had an absolute banner week, coming off her Wimbledon triumph. AND she’s only 15 years old!!
Cori (or Coco) started playing tennis when she was a child, and her parents moved to Florida when she was seven so she could receive more advanced tennis coaching. At the age of 13, in 2017, she became the youngest ever finalist at the US Open. She is also the youngest female player to qualify for a Grand Slam tournament and the youngest player to qualify for Wimbledon.
This past Monday, Cori played five-time Wimbledon singles champion and one of her tennis idols, Venus Williams — and Cori won.
After the match, the rising tennis star had this to say about her Wimbledon experience.
“On the court, I was not thinking about Venus,” Gauff said. “I was just playing my game. No matter who I play against, I want to win. So that’s what I was just thinking about the whole time. I wasn’t really thinking about who I was facing on the other side of the net.”
For more on Cori, check out this Teen Vogue article and post-match WTA interview.
-Sage Daugherty
Associate Editor
Girl Museum, Inc.