Okay, so, Coco Gauff and Serena Williams, huh? Man, that takes me back. It wasn’t a direct thing, like I coached either of them or anything. Nah, it was more about seeing Coco come up and being reminded of when Serena first blew everyone’s minds. I remember thinking, “Damn, this kid’s got that same fire.”
It all started when I was helping out at a local tennis club. Just volunteering, you know, hitting balls with the kids, trying to give them a few pointers. I saw this one girl, maybe 10 or 11, and she was just ripping the ball. Like, really ripping it. She reminded me so much of Serena back in the day – that raw power, the determination, the “I’m gonna win this” attitude.
I started working with her a bit more, just focusing on the basics. Footwork, serve technique, keeping her head in the game. Nothing fancy, just the fundamentals. I wasn’t trying to turn her into the next Coco Gauff or anything, just helping her develop her game.
What I really focused on was the mental game. I told her stories about Serena, about how she dealt with pressure, how she bounced back from losses. I even showed her some old matches on YouTube, pointing out how Serena would adjust her strategy mid-match, how she’d use her body language to intimidate her opponents.
- We watched that match where Serena lost to Naomi Osaka at the US Open and how she handled the situation afterwards.
- We also looked at some of her earlier matches, when she was just starting out, to see how far she’d come.
It wasn’t about copying Serena, but about learning from her. About understanding what it takes to be a champion. The kid was a sponge, soaking up everything I told her. She started visualizing her matches, practicing her mental toughness, and focusing on her goals.
I even got her dad involved. I told him about Richard Williams, Serena and Venus’s dad, and how he coached them from the ground up. I wasn’t suggesting he go that extreme, but just encouraging him to be supportive and involved in her training.
I kept at it for about a year. Seeing her confidence grow, her game improve, that was the real reward. Did she become the next Coco Gauff? Nah, she’s still got a long way to go. But she’s definitely got the potential. And more importantly, she’s got the heart. That’s what I learned watching Serena all those years – talent only gets you so far. You gotta have the heart.
Honestly, it was cool to be a small part of it, even if just for a little while. It reminded me why I loved tennis in the first place, and it was awesome seeing that same passion in a new generation.
At the end of the day, you can’t manufacture a Coco Gauff or a Serena Williams. They’re one of a kind. But you can inspire kids to dream big and work hard. And that’s what I tried to do.
