“I think fans are eager to see a new face of the game,” Coco Gauff said during the Australian Open, speaking up for the teenagers breaking through on Grand Slam stages. She was asked if the pressure on them was unfair. And who better than Gauff to answer? She started as a teenage prodigy, bursting onto the scene after beating Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019 as a 15-year-old qualifier. Since then, she’s claimed a Grand Slam and set multiple records with her nine titles. So, how does she feel about ATP’s rising star, Joao Fonseca?

When asked about her journey compared to Fonseca’s, Gauff kept it real. She said, “A lot of it is just experience. Sometimes you may feel like a better player than them. But I think what makes the difference is they know what to do in those tough moments. Obviously, with him he’s so talented and doing so great. It all will come with experience and time. Obviously, guys is a bit different just physicality-wise.” And she’s right.

Physicality matters more on the men’s side. There are physiological differences in strength and maturity. As Gauff pointed out, “The fact that at 18 he’s making 3rd round of Slams and doing the things he’s done, especially being on the male side of things where I think it’s a bit bigger of a physicality gap between 18 and 23 than on the women’s.”

Joao Fonseca just made his debut in the main draw at Roland Garros. At only 18, he beat Hubert Hurkacz and Pierre-Hugues Herbert in straight sets. He finally lost to Jack Draper in round three. Still, Gauff is hopeful for the young Brazilian. “I’m very excited to see where he’ll be in a few years. I guess just knowing that you want the results right now and you don’t realize how much you can improve in those years,” she added.

Coco Gauff knows the feeling all too well. Since her debut at Wimbledon in 2019, she reached the fourth round and captivated audiences with her maturity and powerful game. She quickly continued her ascent, securing her first WTA singles title in Linz later that year. This early success laid the foundation for her eventual Grand Slam breakthrough. However, it wasn’t an easy ride! She played the US Open four times before finally winning the title! So, who’s to say Joao won’t be lifting trophies soon?

But there’s pressure. Coco gets it. “I’m sure other people around him make him aware of that.” But isn’t her advice oddly familiar? It echoes what her idol Serena Williams once said when asked a similar question!

Serena Williams’ response to advising Coco Gauff as a rising star

Back in 2019, the world was glued to Gauff’s every move. She made history as the youngest woman to qualify for Wimbledon’s main draw. The Florida native instantly became the talk of The Championships. She didn’t just stop at qualifying—she stunned Venus in straight sets, then took down Magdalena Rybarikova, and pulled off a wild third-round comeback against Polona Hercog, saving two match points in a dramatic Centre Court debut

Her third-round win over Hercog was the most-watched match on the BBC in the first five days. Even Serena Williams was watching! When asked if she had any advice for the teen, Serena said, “I think she’s doing everything great. Big fan actually. I am so excited for her. Love her family. I just couldn’t feel more proud. I would be wrong to step in right now and give her advice. I think she’s doing great. I think there are some 15-year-olds, like me, who wouldn’t know what to do at Wimbledon. Then you have a 15-year-old like Coco who knows what to do. It really depends. I think she’s definitely on a different level, so I think she’s totally capable and ready, to be honest. I just think it just depends. Not every 15-year-old is the same.”

Since then, Coco has smashed expectations! Fast forward to the French Open, where she just defeated Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-2 in her opener. With that win, Gauff became the youngest American to notch 20 women’s singles wins at Roland Garros in the Open Era—outpacing her idol Serena, who hit the same milestone just before turning 22.

Now, at 21, she is charging into the quarterfinals and faces an all-American showdown with Madison Keys. Can she outplay the 30-year-old and book her spot in the semifinals for the second straight year? Let’s hear your predictions!