In history few tennis players have been able to achieve their first professional main draw win and secure an estimated $1 million in endorsements at the age of 15. But for Cori Gauff she has ticked both of those boxes just eight days after her 15th birthday.
Despite being born during the same year Maria Sharapova claimed her maiden grand slam title (2004), the American right-hander has already created a pathway to become one of the world’s best. At the age of 13, she reached the final of the 2017 US Open girls tournament. Becoming the youngest player in history to do so. A year later she won the French Open junior title and then triumphed in the doubles at the US Open. Ensuring that she would top the junior rankings at only 14.
One person that truly knows what Gauff is capable of is Patrick Mouratoglou. The Frenchman best known for being the mentor of 23-time grand slam champion Serena Williams. Mouratoglou has been following the progress of the teenager since she was young and has worked with her at his prestigious academy in Sophia Antipolis, France.
“I first meet Cori when she was 10 at my academy.” Mouratoglou said during an interview with Ubitennis.
“She’s very special and has the two major qualities that you cannot teach. First of all, she is a great competitor. That is something very difficult to teach. Secondly, she’s a natural athlete. You can build (a player) physically, but natural athleticism is something you have or don’t have.’
“She’s a hard worker, which is something not everybody has and this is very important to reach the top of the game.” He added.
Athleticism runs in the family of the current world No.2 junior, who goesa by the nickname of Coco. Her father, Corey, played basketball at Golden State University. Meanwhile, her mother, Candi, excelled in Track and Field whilst at Florida State University.
The WTA Tour received a taste of Gauff’s potential at the Miami Open on Thursday. In the first round she took on Caty McNally in what was a rematch of the 2018 French Open girls final. After falling behind early on in the match, Gauff battled back to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in what was her main WTA victory. Coming back from a 2-4 deficit in the final set.
“I would say that her tennis is physical.” Mouratoglou said of the teenager’s game. “It is based on her ability to move well on the court and the ball that comes off of her racket is a lot of high quality. It bounces high, fast and she is an aggressive player. She likes to dictate. She likes to be in control of the points and attack.”
“But if she has to defend, she can thanks to her speed.”
The endorsements
Coinciding with her rise in the sport, Gauff has scored a new endorsement deal with Barilla. An Italian food company known famously for their pasta. Founded in 1877, the company was recently named the number one Italian consumer goods company in terms of turnover by IRI Research. Barilla also has deals with former world No.1 Roger Federer and Olympic skiing champion Mikaela Shiffrin.
“Passion, dedication and fair play are values that inspire Barilla’s way of working. They are also fundamental qualities that we also look for in a sports personality,” said Luca Barilla, Vice Chairman of the Barilla Group. “We extend our warm welcome to Cori, an emerging star of American tennis, and we hope that she will be able to continue to interpret this spirit in the best possible way.”
https://twitter.com/CocoGauff/status/1108825119965749248
Barilla is the latest brand to sign up the rising star. Towards the end of 2018 Gauff also signed long-term deals with New Balance (who won a bidding war with Nike) and racket manufacturer Head. According to Kurt Badenhausen from Forbes Magazine, the trio of deals amount to an estimated $1 million this year. To put that into perspective, it’s estimated that Simona Halep’s endorsements was $1.5M in 2018.
“I’m very proud of what she is achieving because she had had a little bit of pressure on her shoulders.” Said Mouratoglou. “She’s the player everybody looks at. Everybody expects her to win all the time. To experience that at young and to handle that is really impressive.”
Here to win, not just play
Given the massive amount of money being passed around, it is easy to forget Gauff’s age. She is only allowed to play a limited amount of WTA tournaments within a season under the age eligibility rule. A regulation put into place to prevent early burnout. Nevertheless, she is relishing her Miami debut.
“This is a dream. I have been dreaming of this moment for years, just playing in the Miami Open.” She said after her win over McNally. “I have been coming to this tournament since I was eight or nine years old. Watching the players here and actually being in the same tournament, being in the same area as players that I’ve watched since practically I was born, it’s so surreal to me.”
https://twitter.com/CocoGauff/status/1108834013874143233
Once proclaiming that she wants to be ‘the greatest of all time,’ Gauff in on a trajectory to the top of the sport. Following her opening win in Miami, she will break into the world’s top 400 for the first time.
Whilst she will be the underdog in her upcoming clash with 14th seed Daria Kasatkina, Gauff is refusing to let her lack of experience or nerves get in her way.
“My goal for every tournament is to win the tournament. I don’t want to say I will just win this next match and be done. My goal is to win the tournament. I’m going to keep that goal there and just keep fighting for it.” She concluded.
Such an audacious comment could be interpreted as a bit unrealistic, but Gauff has no fear. Making her development on the tour even more fascinating. And with the likes of Mouratoglou on her side, there is no reason why she may not one day emulate the achievements of her idol Williams.
Gauff is just getting started and the world of tennis better watch out.
