How a Wimbledon upset of Venus Williams became Coco Gauff’s turning point?

Coco Gauff had already built a reputation as one of tennis’ brightest young prospects before Wimbledon 2019. She was a former junior world No. 1, reached the US Open girls’ singles final at 13 and won the French Open girls’ singles title a year later. She had also made her WTA main-draw debut earlier that season. There was plenty of excitement around the 15-year-old, but she was still trying to prove that her junior success could translate to the senior level. Wimbledon gave her that opportunity in a way nobody could have predicted.Gauff entered Wimbledon qualifying ranked No. 313 and became the youngest player to qualify for the tournament’s main draw in the Open Era. Her reward was a first-round meeting with Venus Williams, a five-time Wimbledon champion and one of the players who had inspired her to play tennis. Gauff did not simply compete with her idol.