Tennis fans across the globe were shocked when 15-year-old Cori Gauff defeated the legendary Venus Williams in the first round of Wimbledon. Gauff’s entrance into the famed tennis tournament was historic as she was the youngest player to qualify for Wimbledon in the first place. With this huge win, people are clamoring to find out more about this player who may just be a force to reckon with as she gets older. Here are some interesting facts about this rising tennis star.

All In The Family

Gauff is originally from Atlanta, GA, but currently resides in Delray Beach, FL, with her parents and two younger brothers. Both of her parents were athletes themselves. The rising star’s father, Corey Gauff, was a point guard at Georgia State University and her mother Candi was a gymnast and track star at Florida State University. After young Gauff developed an interest in tennis, her father took on the role as her head coach. “I’ve always challenged her, from the beginning of this when we started, telling her that she’ll be able to change the world with her racket,” he said in an interview with the New York Times. Though the teen is steadily working on her tennis game, her parents make sure that she stays on top of her schoolwork. In fact, it was reported that she took a science test mere hours before taking part in Wimbledon’s qualifying rounds. Gauff ended up getting a B.

 

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Making History

Gauff received a wildcard offer to qualify for the prestigious Wimbledon tournament and won three qualifying matches at the Bank of England Sports Ground in Roehampton to get there. That feat made her the youngest player ever to qualify. She would face one of her tennis idols in her debut: Venus Williams. She grew up watching both Williams and her sister Serena Williams make their mark on the tennis court. “Serena Williams has always been an idol, and Venus, I mean, they’re the reason why I wanted to pick up a tennis racket,” Gauff shared in an interview with Wimbledon. “I met them both and they’re both super kind people and I’m just super happy and thankful that they chose to play tennis because I’m sure they’ll dominate any sport they wanted to play.” After defeating Williams in her first Wimbledon match, Gauff has now earned the title of the youngest woman to win a Wimbledon match since 1991, This wasn’t her first big moment, though. When she was 13, Gauff became the youngest player ever to make the U.S. Open girls’ final and eventually won the French Open girls’ singles title in 2018 and was the youngest woman to win a Grand Slam qualifying match in the tournament. So this young player is making her mark on the game already.

 

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Millionnaire Status

At just 15, Gauff is already on her way to becoming a millionaire. Before Wimbledon, she had earned just over $75,000 in career winnings. That might be a small amount for tennis players but certainly more than most teens (and many adults) earn. At Wimbledon, Gauff is already earning much more than that. After beating Williams and moving on to the second round of the tournament, she is guaranteed over $90,000. When she went on to defeat two opponents, she won at least $140,000. Now that she’s beaten three players, Gauff will get over $220,000. By the end of 2019, Forbes has estimated that she will make $1 million. That’s due to the fact that she has an endorsement deal with Italian pasta company Barilla. She also has multi-year sponsorship agreements with New Balance and racket-making company Head. With her hard work and skills on the court, Gauff will certainly continue to make her own mark in tennis as she grows older.