Coco Gauff is ready for greatness, on her own terms

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At a fork in the road, COCO GAUFF is. Her father is studying the computer in the dash of her first car. It's time to take the radio off. You can see the windows up. The airconditioning is on.

Coco, who turned 18 in March, received a black audi e-tron for her birthday. I usually put my phone in the car, but my father uses satellite radio.

"I'm old fashioned," she says.

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The driver's seat was adjusted byCorey and he turned out of their gated community. He hasn't driven this car since he bought it. They haven't been home a lot.

The open was held in April. In May, Spain and Italy. In June, the French Open is held. Last week, Wimbledon was held. The two week stretch in mid-July is the longest this year.

Coco did not want a vehicle. She didn't buy her one until after her 17th birthday. She doesn't want to take the driving test so she's still on her permit. Coco doesn't like to drive. She has both of those things when she wants to go bowling with her brothers, and when she wants to see a movie with her family. She does not need a car.

She was given one by her father. She says that he is tired of driving her around.

Dad is driving her around the area that she grew up in. It's been three years since Coco burst onto the tennis scene with a win over one of her idols, Venus Williams, and it's clear she's not about to give up all the comforts of her childhood: post-practice conversations in the car with her parents. She is ready to reach for greatness and her first Grand Slam title at the ripe old age of 18. As Serena Williams leaves the game, Coco is stepping into the spotlight and becoming the player she wants to be.

After glancing at the mileage display, Coco said it said 42 miles "til I need to charge it". Since taking it off the dealership, we haven't charged it. One of us should remember how to do it.

When she was 8 years old, her parents were at their own crossroads. The Gauffs didn't plan on raising a professional athlete. They saw something different in their oldest. She sat by herself and focused on her work. At three years old, she crawled out of her stroller and chased her cousins around a 400 meter track with a determination on her face. Candi says that she believes she will catch them.

The parents of college athletes encouraged their daughter to play sports in the Atlanta suburb where they lived. Coco ran track relays like her mom and played sports like her dad. She complained to her father that a girl on the relay team wasn't trying hard enough. "I told her that she's probably trying her best," he said.

It was not the same as tennis. The tennis player spoke to Coco. Being alone on the court made me happy. All the mistakes were on me.

He didn't know a lot about tennis. He played tennis for a year in middle school. The trajectory of women's players who were great at a young age were researched by him. He looked for patterns.

Early on in their lives, they all had strong parents. Most of them were homeschooled to get more time in the day to play on the court. I wanted to take the best of what they did.

Gauff has a plan for the next 10 years. It's become a part of the story. The plan was created to take his daughter to the pros in stages. He wants her to play these tournaments and see where she is. If she crosses a benchmark faster, you change and plan again. Preparing is the biggest weapon you have.

He also studied players. He looked at how the women's game was evolving. Lindsay Davenport introduced power and Hingis won by mastering angles. He studied Richard Williams and tried to predict how the game would change.

The Gauffs have always been aware of the influence of the Williams family. Coco might not have asked her parents to buy her a racket if she hadn't seen the two young black girls play tennis.

Candi says that if it wasn't for the Williams sisters, Coco wouldn't be playing tennis. My husband would not have studied tennis if it wasn't for Richard. He patented himself and used the road map.

The father encouraged his daughter to chase her dreams. He said that she could be better than Venus and Serena. "I think it's possible to speak things into existence," he said. I told her that she could be the best in the world.

Less than two years into the plan, the Gauffs realized that Coco could be an elite athlete. She needed better technical coaching than she was getting.

Candi was a teacher at the time and was called from work. Candi says that he told her to return to Delray Beach for a year with her daughter. The best tennis is at that location. If Coco was happy with his progress in tennis, he would transfer to Florida, where he would work in pharmaceutical sales.

Candi says that their job is to support them to be the best they can be. I didn't want to think about what could have been.

For all the talk of a 10-year plan, Coco has never looked at it. She trusts her parents because they always involve her in short-term decisions. She is unsure if she is following the plan or not.

She is named Serena. There is a city called Venice. There is a woman named Serena. A woman named Venus. "Serena, Venus, Serena, Venus." She smiles and tucks her lip under her teeth. I only watched that when I was a child.

There are questions about Serena. She has spent a long time making her own comparisons. She told anyone who asked that she wanted to be the next Serena. She was going to be better.

When she arrived at the courts at Pompey Park, she wondered how many people had watched the sisters play there as well. Serena and Venus practiced on the same courts where Coco practiced her backhand for a short time when they were in the middle school.

She liked other women's players. All other players existed outside of her knowledge. She said she and her coach only watched their matches. I didn't pay much attention to anyone else.

Coco was cast as a body double for a young Serena in a Delta Air Lines ad. She said it was cool.

The director wanted to know if she could hit a serve. She was told if she could hit a serve like Serena. She said she tried to hit the serve hard.

I was able to make it in.

"That's Rainberry Lake, where we lived after we moved out of my grandma and grandpa's house," she says, pointing to her old neighborhood out of the car window. It was a lot to live in my grandparents' house.

Candi andCorey brought their daughter back to where they came from. Candi's father's name is on a baseball field next to a home that is across the street from a tennis court at Pompey Park.

Coco said there was Pompey. The car is turning in front of a tennis court. When she was a child, she would come early in the morning to see her dad teach. I and him were out there. Since I was a small child, anyone in the area has known who I was.

People in the area know each other. Everyone celebrates when one of their own succeeds, because parents look out for each other's children. Better coaches and courts weren't the only things that made returning here worthwhile. Providing Coco with a place to return to away from the spotlight and pressure was the goal.

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For the first few years in Florida, Candi attended Coco's practices and shared her notes with the other person. She made time in her schedule to be a kid, spend time with her cousins, sing in the choir, and participate on the church dance team. The TikTok skills came from another place.

The best two-handed backhand in the game was studied byCorey and he found a coach to help her improve her shot. He started her out with a low racket. Like Serena. Coco has one of the most lethal double-handed backhand in the business.

Patrick gave Coco a grant to train at his academy in France when she was 10 years old. She learned how to slide on red clay and use a slice. Coco liked to hit everything. I learned to be versatile at that point. I realized I could play tennis.

She made her junior Grand Slam debut at the US Open. She was the youngest finalist in the tournament's history and didn't drop a set until the final, where she lost to a three year old.

After four months, the Gauffs decided that Coco was ready to play in the Australian Open. Coco says that he came in with big hopes. I thought I would win.

She was crushed after losing in the first round. The man couldn't sleep back at the hotel. His wife was asked if he was the right coach for their daughter. Is this all worth it? If you miss school dances and summer vacations, you will be disappointed.

Tennis is not a winner. The best players grow from their losses and gain motivation from them. It was an important lesson that was learned far from home.

His daughter wouldn't play any more tournaments until she was ready. She handled whatever result came her way.

Coco didn't play any tournaments for four months. They went back to work with the team. She wanted to improve her serve, her movement, her consistency from the court, to play with more angles and get more height on the ball. They focused more on the career of the player they were building.

It was a success. At the French Open, she won her first junior Grand Slam title. She signed multiyear endorsement deals with New Balance, Head rackets and Barilla. The plan was moving in the right direction.

Coco said she felt depressed and isolated at home. She didn't want to be alone on the court. She didn't want to be a tennis player. She wanted people to befriend her. The plan for the teenager in front of them was adapted by her parents.

It's possible to get off track when you schedule too much into the day. We try to be aware that sometimes the best activity is to sit around and not be on the clock.

Coco's parents and agent looked for companies that wouldn't ask too much of her while she is young when selecting the brands she would represent. In doubles, she could work on her volleys and let her hair down.

"Doubles is enjoyable," he said. It's never presented as fun for single people. It isn't enjoyable. It's very competitive. There is no one saying 'Attaboy' or 'Attagirl'. All the lifting is done on your own.

Catalina sat in her car in a parking lot. Two years ahead of the plan, it was May of this year. Candi was excited to drive cross state so she could see her daughter play.

She was not a fan of what she saw. Coco lost 6-1, 6-1 to a player outside the top 300 in the first round of qualification.

Coco said it wasn't the loss. I lost that way.

Candi went back to the hotel to wait for the two people. She wanted to give her child some time to grow up. That's one thing the Wozniackis' father told me. Give them a few hours before you discuss the match. Candi told Coco to get into the passenger seat. Candi wanted to know how she was feeling. Candi remembers that Coco wasn't being very aggressive.

Candi told her she wasn't happy. She looked like she did not care. I don't think there's any fire. You don't want to be out there. If she didn't want to play tennis at this level, that was fine with her. It was her decision. Candi said that they sacrificed that day. We sacrifice because we know you're trying. Today was not your best.

The scouting report had been wrong and she didn't know how to adjust. She didn't want to continue.

Do you know how to return a serve? Candi inquired about her daughter. Can you tell me how to hit a tennis ball? How to keep going after each point?

Coco said yes.

You know how to win matches. She was asked about the best players. Think about Serena. She runs for every point. When she is facing a match point, does she still believe she can win? Coco said no to her. It will never happen.

Candi said that was the change. It boomed from that moment on.

At the French Open, Coco lost in the second round of qualification, but she kept going. The fire was seen by her parents.

Coco was offered a wild card into the Wimbledon qualification rounds. Her parents were unsure if she should accept the offer. She'd already said yes to the French, so they thought she'd go to New York, where she'd be closer to her family. Is it possible that this is Wimbledon? It looked like a large stage.

She wanted to play. He agreed. At the age of 15, she became the youngest player to qualify for the main draw.

He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the draw. He said he started laughing. She's playing Venus Williams in the first round.

Candi andCorey wondered if they made the correct decision. Coco was disappointed at the junior Australian Open.

She was thrilled when she heard about her opponent. She1-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-6556 I didn't think they'd be gone before I got on tour. I don't know if I could win that match. It is not possible to say yes. It's because Serena, Venus, Serena, Venus. It's always in my head.

The day before her match, Coco walked out of Court 1 with her parents. She said it was so large.

Candi said the lines were the same. The net is the same height

She was told to pretend it was Pompey. He says that when he sees in his daughter's eyes that a moment feels too large. Coco says that he told her to go back to where it all began.

Coco had a picture of Pompey instead of Court 1. She didn't look at the board so she wouldn't know her opponent's name. She could feel the fire in her body. She kept fighting. She was thinking up a set and break at the match point. "Venus and Serena, they always have these moments where they're about to lose and then they beat each other," Coco1-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-6556 I was going to be a part of that. I don't want to be a part of that story.

Coco's knees buckled when Venus hit a crosscourt forehand into the net. She had never seen herself defeating Williams. She shook Williams' hand and pulled her towards the net. She didn't let go until she said what she had been telling Venus.

She thanked him for everything. I told you that I wouldn't be playing tennis without your help.

Coco says that she didn't plan on it. There are new earrings in her ear. It just happened. She and her cousins saw a sign in the window of the store that said 20% off in-store purchases with an ear piercing and starter kit. Coco says this is the time.

She remembers the effect of "Cocomania" and the overnight fame that came far ahead of schedule after her Wimbledon victory. Reporters and fans were used to her saying she wanted to be the next Serena. "It's OK to say no sometimes," the former first lady told her, after she received calls and a message from her. Every tournament was about her and whether she won. She got too focused on what people thought about her when she lost.

She told reporters that she didn't feel the pressure or worry about it. She wanted to win more Slams than Serena, that she enjoyed the pressure, and that she got a kick out of watching commentators analyze her game. She says she was telling the truth. I told a lot of lies. I was not sure if I wanted to believe it.

Naomi Osaka was upset by Coco in the third round of the Australian Open. She was the youngest player to win a match against a top-five seed. She didn't celebrate because she didn't feel proud of what she'd done. I needed to win the trophy.

She was defeated in the next round by a champion. She had made it to the fourth round of a major at the ripe age of 15.

There are big successes and small successes. I ignored the small ones because I was focused on the big successes.

Four months after the COVID-19 shutdown and one month after the murder of George Floyd, Grandma Yvonne gave her a ride to Pompey Park. She was surrounded by her community in the place where her family had stood up time and again after a few months of being isolated from them. Coco was going to blend into the crowd at the protest.

She heard her grandmother speak at the podium. She thought about the lessons she learned from her, the first Black student to integrate a high school, and her grandfather, who started the first Little League for Black players. She was taught to be involved in studies of the issues that mattered to her.

She had been having difficult conversations with her friends and family, and posting about racism and police violence on social media even though her parents were not happy. She had a plan for her tennis career that carried her to the highest levels of the sport. When she left the court, she wanted to be a woman.

Coco doesn't want to be remembered as a good tennis player when he leaves this world. I would like to be remembered as a good person and an advocate.

She was standing behind her grandmother at the park and thought about how angry and scared she was when she looked at her father and grandpa. She thought about how she has been told things by her father.

She said that he told her she could change the world with her racket. I didn't know what it meant when I was younger. Tennis is a way to get more people to play. Tennis has never been a sport where people talk about things other than tennis. It would be foolish of me not to say something.

She spoke off the cuff after walking to the podium. She said her name was Coco and that she was her grandmother. It's sad that I'm protesting the same thing she did 50 years ago.

Coco told the crowd to love one another, have tough conversations and use their voices. She said she would use her platform to spread important information. Her speech was powerful. I heard a lot of things over the last week. She said that one thing she's heard is that it's not her problem. If you listen to Black music, if you like Black culture, and if you have Black friends, then this is your fight as well.

Cocoa and her parents stepped out of a taxi in Paris. She retrieved a black cap and gown from her bag after reaching into her bag. She posed for a picture in front of the Eiffel Tower the day before the start of the French Open, because she wanted to show off her dress. She threw her cap into the air. She says it was nice to do something outside of tennis.

"It was a good way to end the year," he says.

She didn't have to think about her school assignments or test scores when she was playing at theRoland Garros. She rented a bike and walked the streets of Paris, watching birds fly from tree to tree. She spoke about not letting results define her as a person in her post match interviews. She wrote "Peace" and "End gun violence" on a television camera lens after her semifinal win. She was beaten in the final by Poland's Iga Swiatek, who had won 37 matches in a row.

She had a change of perspective in Paris. Life is more than tennis and winning and losing. It is enjoyable. I didn't have as much fun because I was worried about results.

Coco and her dad followed the Williams formula for a long time. She knows that it's unfair to define her success against the best women in the world. She doesn't want to get caught up in other people's timelines because her dad's 10-year plan is over. She has to win a Grand Slam before she can win 23.

She said her goals were the same. The mentality behind them isn't the same. I want to remember the good times.

Over the course of her career, she will test that mindset a lot. She has learned that the Williams sisters kept the fire going.

She says she was trying to be the next great American. That is not the reason I play tennis. People wanted to hear that I wanted to be the greatest. I said it because I want it for myself.

The car was pulled into the tennis center's parking lot with 25 miles left on its first charge.

"I think I should watch you do this," Coco1-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-6556 She is going to the EV charging station. He pushes a few buttons after following the prompt. Coco grabbed the charging cord and walked towards the car as Candi arrived. She asked if he knew how to attach it. Do you agree? They laughed when Coco replied.

Candi says that they haven't been able to try this because she's been gone for a long time.

The two people connected the charging cord to the car. The driver's seat is occupied byCorey.

Coco thinks it'scharging.

It says it is connected.

Coco slinks away from the car because it says it isn't charging. You can figure this out.

After the US Open in September, Coco will leave home again. She is working with her dad and coach in order to put more balls into deep play. One of the fastest players in the women's game, Coco is still working on her serve and forehand. Although she finally stopped adding inches to her height, her arms grew a half-inch, which changed the geometry of her game, so she's working to adjust and find extension on her shots when the ball is close to her body. She learned a lot from her first slam final.

She will post lip-syncs and fit checks on TikTok. It goes to New York.

She says it is her favorite slam. I played in front of the crowd. I hope I can beat them. She paused and took a moment before moving on. We'll see, that's the goal." I will hold the trophy there someday.

"I'm hoping my draw can work out so we play each other after Serena hangs up her racket," she said.

She needs to take her driving test three days after the US Open.