Coco Gauff, the rising star of women’s tennis, has revealed that she could have pursued a career in track and field instead. Her mother, Candi, was a track and field athlete at Florida State University, and Coco’s natural talent in the sport was evident from a young age.
At the Paris Olympics, Gauff met with some of Team USA’s biggest track and field stars, including Noah Lyles, who suggested she would have excelled in the 400-meter hurdles. Gauff’s mother also believes she would have been successful in the 400-meter event.
Despite her talent in track and field, Gauff ultimately chose to focus on tennis. However, she still wonders what could have been. “I don’t know if I would have been as good as I was in tennis in track, but I strongly feel like if I would have trained I could have been an Olympian,” she said.
Gauff’s experience at the Olympics also inspired her. She was impressed by the resilience and determination of athletes like Tara Davis-Woodhall, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Sha’carri Richardson, and Gabby Thomas, who overcame challenges to achieve success.
“It does inspire me, and just also it puts perspective to my age,” Gauff said. “A lot of them are 24, between 24 to 27 range … I think I just learned to just trust in my training and trust in the journey, just with talking with them and learning about their stories.”
Gauff believes that her game will continue to improve as she matures. “I’m 20, so hopefully by, like, 24 I’m there,” she said.
