Tennis Sensation Coco Gauff’s Rapid Fame at 15 Made Family Vulnerable, Forcing Them to Seek Police Assistance

• Coco Gauff comes from a family that has achieved "great things."
• As a safety precaution, the Gauff family has to change their routine regularly.
• Days after her US Open win, she addressed a viral ritual.

Coco Gauff was but 15 when she beat her role model, Venus Williams, in the first round of Wimbledon in 2019. The humble teenager cried when she greeted her hero after the match.

Cocomania ensued as she became a household name with endorsement deals from the racket company Head, New Balance, and kitchen staple, the pasta company Barilla Group.

Born Cori Gauff in Delray Beach, Florida, Coco, a nickname she favors, was raised by athletes in a family that has thrived in various sports and broke down racial barriers.

Her father, Corey Gauff, after whom she was named, was on the Georgia State University basketball team, and her mother, Candi Gauff, ran track for Florida State University.

The tennis star's grandmother, Yvonne Odom, became the first black student at 15 to enroll at Seacrest High School, which contributed to the desegregation of the Palm Beach County school system.

Eddie "Red" Odom, Coco's grandfather and the co-founder of the Delray Beach American Little League, has a field at Pompey Park named after him. Coco's two younger brothers now play at this facility.

From a young age, her parents encouraged her to participate in a sport but did not prescribe which one. In Atlanta, Georgia, where the family later settled, she impressed an early tennis coach, former tennis pro Jewel Peterson, with her temperament and dedication.

Calling the youngster a "coach's dream," Peterson remembered how Coco, who trained with her between seven and eight, never needed to be told how to start practice. The coach elaborated:

"She did it on her own. To this day, I still have not seen anybody that driven."

The Gauffs recognized their daughter's potential and restructured their lives to accommodate it. Corey and Candi quit their jobs and relocated the family back to Florida.

Following the footsteps of the Williams sisters' father, Richard Williams, Corey became his daughter's coach. Candi devoted her energies to homeschooling their daughter, who was then in third grade.

The future grand slam champion was raised on the principle that she "has a responsibility." Her mother explained, "You come from a lineage who has done great things. We wouldn't put [anything] on you that hasn't been done [already]."

Coco Gauff Worked through A "Dark Mindset" during Her Quick Ascent into Sports Infamy

Becoming a sports superstar in her mid-teens impacted Coco's mental health and the safety of her and her family. The athlete told Teen Vogue in August 2019 that someone had followed their car.

The family was compelled to stop at a police station for assistance. "We've just kind of been making sure we change our schedule every day so no one, like, I don't know, figures out what we do," she admitted. "My dad's crazy, so I think we'll be OK."

A month after her 16th birthday, she wrote a revealing post on Behind The Racquet, a platform where players share their stories. She chronicled how before her first Wimbledon as a junior "around 2017-18," she felt alienated, even though she did have friends.

She explained that when one is in a "dark mindset," it is tough to look at the positive moments. It was less about tennis and more about how to juggle the sport in her life. "I knew that I wanted to play tennis but didn't know how I wanted to go about it," Coco said.

The sportswoman considered taking a hiatus from the game for a year but is ultimately happy with her decision not to take that route. She added:

"I was just lost. I was confused and overthinking if this was what I wanted or what others did."

Through "many moments sitting, thinking and crying," the teenager came out the other side with a better sense of self. People often ask her how she manages to remain so calm on court; she believes it is because she has accepted who she is and has overcome the low points in her life. Coco said.

"Now, when I'm on court, I am just really thankful to be out there."

What Coco Gauff Said in Her Prayer on Home Court at the US Open

Being put through "tribulations and trials" in her competitive career, like losing out on the French Open, made her US Open victory on September 9, 2023, all the more satisfactory.

She had beat Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, then the world number two, on home soil for her first grand slam title. The night before, she was on the phone with her boyfriend until one a.m.

Before her previous Open, she could not sleep the night before, so she talked to her partner about everything but the looming match, and it helped her eventually fall asleep.

Going on Today, two days after she became the first American to win the US Open in six years, she shared with Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie what transpired when she fell to her knees in prayer on the court on the day:

"I was just saying thank you, and I understood all the tough times were just to make that moment even sweeter. I think if it came easy, I wouldn't feel as appreciative as I did in that moment, clearly."

In the stands, her parents' reactions were captured on camera. Coco got a kick out of her mother's response. "She caught the Holy Ghost," she said, laughing. Her dad was seen drawing his daughter in a deep hug.

For all her accomplishments, it is a mundane pre-game ritual that made her go viral with the TikTok crowd. She acknowledged that people have asked her what she eats in the Tupperware containers she has been spotted with.

The star confirmed that it was "just good old fruit" that her mother, and sometimes her dad, prepared for her before matches. Coco Gauff laughed that social media users were saying that she was still getting her lunches packed.