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Coco Gauff has been honored by TIME Magazine as one of its Women of the Year for 2024 after her historic triumph at the 2023 US Open.
Gauff is currently ranked World No. 3 and is the highest-ranked American tennis athlete, male or female. The 19-year-old captured the imagination of the sports world when she lifted her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open. In front of a raucous crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Gauff defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the title contest 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
She has since built on her impressive showing in New York with a semi-final run at the 2023 WTA Finals and the 2024 Australian Open. Her exploits on the court and flare off it have seen her being inducted into the list of the most influential women in the world.
Gauff joins the likes of director Greta Gerwig, actress Taraji P Henson, Chanel CEO Leena Nair, Nobel Laureate Claudia Goldin and more on TIME's Women of the Year list.
In her interview with TIME, Coco Gauff called her US Open triumph an unforgettable experience that gave her motivation to stay focused and achieve greater success.
“It was like a drug. I’ve never felt anything like that. That’s the motivation that drives me. I’m sure the ‘Face of Tennis’ and glitz and glam will come along with that. But I don’t really care about any of that. I really just care about how many of those major trophies I can get in my house,” Gauff said.
Coco Gauff on embracing adulthood - “People have called me the teenaged this, teenaged that”
In her chat with TIME, Coco Gauff talked about turning 20 and moving out of the teenager bracket that she has been in her entire career so far. The American has achieved tremendous success before reaching adulthood, winning titles at every level of the WTA Tour.
Gauff will turn 20 on March 13 and finds it crazy that she will not be a teenager anymore. While she was initially scared to grow up, Gauff understands that change is the law of nature and hopes to embrace whatever comes her way.
“It’s crazy to think that I’m not going to be a teenager anymore. So much of my career, people have called me the teenaged this, teenaged that. At first, I was scared to grow up. But now I’m embracing adulthood. There’s always going to be change needed in this world. I hope I can play a small part,” she continued.
