It’s not just Cori Gauff that has taken Wimbledon by storm. Her parents Corey and Candi have gained a fan-base of their own as they’ve supported their 15-year-old daughter – nicknamed Coco – throughout her heroic run from Qualifying to the fourth round of the main draw.
“Congratulations Coco’s mom,” yelled fans at Candi as she made her way from Centre Court following the comeback victory over Polona Hercog that made her the youngest player since Jennifer Capriati in 1991 to reach the last 16 at the All England Club.
Applause followed both parents during their short trek and they were stopped by supporters every step of the way. A transport personnel says all the tournament chauffeurs hope to drive the Gauffs because they seem to be "such a lovable family".
A former college basketball player for Georgia State University, Corey has coached his daughter from a young age, and has helped nurture her ambitious mentality.
“I knew she had it in her but I didn’t know it was going to come out of her,” Corey admitted.
“She’s always had that fight. Even since she was a little baby, she always had the feistiness about her, she wouldn’t quit. The difference today is she’s got some tools to actually work with.
“I just always told her, ‘Dream as big as you want, and if it’s a worthy dream, it’s morally right, then I’ll help you try to achieve those dreams’,” he explains.
“She’s like, ‘I wanna be the GOAT’, I always said, ‘You want to be the greatest? That’s a great goal, there’s nothing wrong with that goal’.
“I always try to tell parents, ‘Don’t limit your kid, just let them dream and let them go after it’. You’re going to be on earth a long time, so you might as well do the things you like.”
Henman Hill looked like ‘Coco Cliff’ on Friday as the American teen saved two match points against Hercog. The journey continues on Monday against ex-world No.1 Simona Halep. Once again Gauff's parents will be rooting for their phenomenal daughter while British fans take Mum and Dad to their hearts too.
“It’s unbelievable. The support has been outstanding, every match they’re calling her name and I’m just sitting here like, ‘What in the world is going on?’ And she’s soaking it all up. The Brits I guess do love her," Corey said.
When Coco became the youngest player in the Open era to qualify for The Championships she said she was “thankful that my parents never put any limitations on my goals, because sometimes parents can do that”.
After upsetting Venus Williams, Magdalena Rybarikova and Hercog, Coco Mania has taken over, not just Wimbledon, but also the United States. From Michelle Obama to Magic Johnson to Reese Witherspoon to Beyonce’s mother Tina Knowles to Coco’s favourite rapper Jaden Smith, the tennis phenom has gotten nods from a host of celebrities for her historic exploits.
When she was asked what’s been the most exciting part of her Wimbledon journey so far, Coco did not hesitate to say: “Jaden and Michelle Obama tweeting about me.”
Her father is not worried about the magnitude of the attention Coco has been getting.
“I think acutely she is aware, because she saw her Instagram grow by like 200,000 people. So she knows people are rooting for her. I told her, ‘It’s okay to take a look at it, but if you’re serious about going further in the tournament, you’ve got to compartmentalise it and get back to being focused on what you’re trying to accomplish’,” he says.
“Because there’s plenty of time to celebrate. There’s no bad day now, ‘You’re at Wimbledon, you’re 15, you’re going on Centre Court, just enjoy it, don’t be stressed out, just be happy that you have a chance to go out here and see how well you can play’.”
Coco’s Instagram bio includes the hash-tag ‘#prayforsudan’ along with a link to the Unicef website report with the headline ‘Children killed, injured, detained and abused amid escalating violence and unrest in Sudan’. During Black History month, she was posting daily facts about it to her followers, and in a live video on Friday night, she said she hopes to use her platform even more to raise awareness for important issues.
“I always told her when she was a kid, ‘You can change the world with your racket. So your voice becomes louder the more you can swing that racket and have success with it',” said Corey.
“I don't tell her to, 'Stick your head in the ground like an ostrich, and ignore the social issues that are important to you. If it's morally right, and it's worth supporting, then support it. Everybody is not going to like what you support or what you don't support, but if in your heart you feel it's the right thing, and spiritually you feel it's right, then go ahead and support it'.”
Looking ahead to her upcoming challenge against Halep, Corey isn’t concerned about fatigue affecting his daughter, even though she has now won six matches in 11 days.
“It’s just will she mentally be able to once again dig into the well and try to compete again? This was obviously the most stressful match she’s had so far. When she plays Simona, that’s going to be her seventh match in two weeks. But I’m happy; to win a tournament you’ve got to get to the seventh match, so in my mind we’ve gotten to the seventh match,” he adds with a laugh.
“She’s exceeded her expectations. Now she’s really focused, ‘I think I can do it’, and once again, I say, ‘Dream big, I think you can too’.”
