American tennis sensation Coco Gauff has had a brilliant year so far. Earlier this year, she had a brilliant run in Roland Garros 2022 where she made it to her first Grand Slam final. However, she lost in straight sets to the current world no.1 Iga Swiatek. Further, she reached the third round of the Wimbledon Championships 2022, before losing to Amanda Anisimova in three sets.

At an age of only 18, she is a much more mature player now. However, the American announced herself on the tour during her Grand Slam debut in 2019. The way she outplayed the seven-time champion, Venus Williams, in the first round of the Wimbledon Championships showed a glimpse of her immense potential.

Victory against Venus made Gauff believe in herself

Recalling her match against Venus Williams, the 18-year-old said that defeating someone who she grew up admiring made her believe in herself and her dreams.

“That moment – beating Venus at Wimbledon – made me believe that my dreams were closer to reality than it felt. It was definitely a lot to deal with,” she said.

Further, the current world number 11 added that, over the years, she has learned to live in the moment rather than paying attention to others’ expectations.

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“The biggest thing I’ve learnt is you don’t have to care about what other people expect from you. Just enjoy the moment. I wasn’t enjoying the moment then,” she added.

Read more: ‘Never Felt Scared…’ – Coco Gauff Makes a Confident Admission About Being Active Off-Court

Gauff has come a long way since then, as she has consistently proven to be a tough opponent for several top players on the tour.

Coco Gauff launches signature shoes

After her rapid rise recently, the 18-year-old has improved her brand value. She recently signed a deal with New Balance to launch a brand new line of signature shoes. As per the Instagram post from the official account of New Balance, the deal with the American is the first of its kind. The shoes will be available in the market globally from 26th August. Gauff later thanked New Balance for the collaboration via a story on her Instagram account.

Watch this story: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, and Others In The Greatest Comebacks in Tennis

Gauff is making rapid strides and is ranked number 11 already in the WTA rankings. With the home Grand Slam coming up for the American, it will be interesting to see if she can make it to the latter stages and break into the top 10.