Coco Gauff

Cori "Coco" Gauff announced herself to the world at 15 years old when she defeated Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019 — a moment that felt like the passing of a generational torch in real time. By 19, she had won the U.S. Open, becoming the youngest American woman to win a Grand Slam singles title since Serena Williams in 1999.

Born in Atlanta in 2004 and raised in Delray Beach, Florida, Gauff was a tennis prodigy who began playing at six. Her father Corey, a former basketball player at Georgia State, and her mother Candi, a former track and gymnastics athlete at Florida State, designed a training program around their daughter's gifts. She moved to Florida to train at the Mouratoglou Academy (Serena Williams's former coach) and turned professional at 14.

Gauff's 2023 U.S. Open championship was a coronation years in the making. She has also been a vocal advocate for racial justice and social issues, delivering a powerful speech at a Black Lives Matter rally in her hometown at 16. She carried the American flag at the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony — the youngest American flag bearer in modern history — and continues to grow as both an athlete and a leader.