Childhood
Cori “Coco” Gauff was born March 13, 2004, in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Delray Beach, Florida — the eldest of three kids. Both her parents were elite athletes: her father, Corey Gauff, played college basketball at Georgia State; her mother, Candi, ran track at Florida State. Tennis wasn’t the family sport. Coco picked it up at six, just playing around — and then, at eight, she watched Serena Williams win the Australian Open on TV and decided tennis was her sport. Her father had her write down her goals. She did: world No. 1 and Grand Slam champion.
She trained first at New Generation Tennis Academy, then at 10 moved to the Mouratoglou Academy in France, run by Serena Williams’s longtime coach. The family relocated across the Atlantic for their daughter’s tennis. That’s the kind of bet that sounds reckless until it works.
What set her apart early
Two things. First, physicality — coaches at Mouratoglou noted she was bigger, stronger, and faster than the other girls her age. Second, composure under pressure. She won the Junior Fed Cup with the U.S. team and became junior world No. 1, then in 2018 — at 14 — won the French Open junior girls’ title, the second-youngest girls’ champion in the event’s history.
The belief was the real separator. When asked what made her special, Gauff herself has pointed to a simple conviction: she believed she belonged. At 15, she carried that belief into Wimbledon qualifying, won three matches, and drew Venus Williams in the first round of the main draw.
How she trained as a junior
Gauff’s parents ran her career like a small professional operation. Corey coached her; Candi managed her education (homeschooled). The family made a deliberate decision to keep her schedule controlled — she turned pro in 2018 but played a limited junior and pro schedule rather than chasing every event.
At Wimbledon 2019, the 15-year-old qualifier beat 39-year-old Venus Williams — her idol, the woman she’d watched win that Australian Open at eight — 6–4, 6–4 in the first round, then reached the fourth round. She was the youngest player to reach the Wimbledon fourth round since Jennifer Capriati in 1991. Nike signed her to a multi-year sponsorship when she was 14; she’s been managed as a global brand since before she could drive.
The through-line to pro success
Gauff won her first Grand Slam singles title at the 2023 US Open at 19, beating Aryna Sabalenka in the final — and in 2025 added the French Open, beating Sabalenka again. She reached world No. 2 in singles in June 2024 and world No. 1 in doubles in August 2024. She also won Olympic gold in doubles at Paris 2024 (with Jessica Pegula). The through-line: the same belief that carried a 15-year-old qualifier past Venus now carries her through Grand Slam finals — and the same family operation still runs around her.
What tennis parents can take from this
1. Let them choose the sport — then commit fully. Gauff’s parents were basketball and track people. They didn’t steer her to tennis; she chose it at eight watching Serena. Once she chose, they went all in — moving to France at 10. The sequence matters: her conviction first, their investment second. Don’t pick the sport and then try to manufacture the motivation.
2. Protect the schedule, not just the body. The Gauffs played a limited schedule deliberately. In junior tennis, burnout and overuse injuries come from too many events, not too few. If your 12-year-old is playing 30 tournaments a year, ask what the 25th one is for. Rest is a training input.
3. Big bets need a team, not just a dream. Moving the family to France at 10 worked because the parents had a plan: coaching (Corey), education (Candi, homeschooling), and a world-class academy. If you’re considering a major tennis investment — relocation, academy, homeschooling — write down who’s handling training, schooling, and the money. A bet with a plan is strategy; without one it’s a lottery ticket.
We’re parents, not coaches — this is what the story taught us, not a prescription.
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