Tennis Star Coco Gauff Is Just 18 Years Old, Earnings Top $3 Million

At just 18-years-old, Cori “Coco” Gauff has a shot at becoming one of the world’s top tennis players when she competes in the French Open finals this weekend. Gauff’s prize money earnings in her three-year professional career have topped $3 million.

On June 4, Gauff will play her first Grand Slam singles final against Poland’s Iga Świątek, the No. 1 seed, for the French Open title and the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen. She’s the youngest American grand slam finalist since her idol, Serena Williams, won her first grand slam title in 1999.

Growing up in Atlanta, Gauff was four years old when she first became entranced with the game of tennis by watching Williams compete in the 2009 Australian Open finals. When her father called Williams the “GOAT,” Gauff told him, “I want to be the GOAT,” reported ESPN.

Gauff started playing tennis at age six, but it wasn’t until she won a “Little Mo” junior tennis tournament at age eight that she decided she wanted a career in tennis.

“I loved tennis. I was so-so about it in the beginning because when I was younger, I didn't want to practice at all. I just wanted to play with my friends. When I turned eight, that was when I played 'Little Mo' and after that I decided to do that for the rest of my life," Gauff said in an interview.

When she was 11 years old, Gauff started training under William’s longtime coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, at his tennis academy in Nice, France. Mouratoglou told United Press International (UPI) that Gauff was a “one-of-a-kind player” who impressed him with her “determination, athleticism, and fighting spirit.”

"She was only 10-years-old, but you could feel she was already extremely ambitious. When she looks at you and tells you she will be number one, you can only believe it,” Mouratoblou told UPI.

A decade after she watched Williams win the 2009 Australian Open, Gauff was on the court at Wimbledon, competing against Serena’s sister, Venus Williams. Her victory over the five-time Wimbledon champ threw her into the international spotlight. She was 15 and the youngest player at Wimbledon since Jennifer Capriati in 1991.

"She did everything well today,” Venus told ESPN after the match. “She put the ball in the court, which was much better than I did. She served well, moved well. It was a great match for her."

Since then, Gauff has broken records as the youngest player to compete or win in several tennis tournaments, including the U.S. Open and Junior French Open.

Gauff has amassed a net worth of $2.5 million throughout her professional career, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Much of Gauff’s wealth comes from endorsements. She signed her first endorsement with New Balance when she was 14. She also has endorsement deals with tennis racquet company Head and Italian food brand Barilla.