Though Coco Gauff always dreamt of becoming a professional tennis player, if she had a chance to take part in another sport, it would be basketball. After her win at the Porche Tennis Grand Prix on Wednesday in Stuttgart over compatriot Sachia Vickery, Gauff admitted she wants to play against WNBA player Caitlin Clark.
Clark plays as a point guard in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) for the Indiana Fever and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the NCAA Division I tournament. She is one of the reasons behind women’s basketball’s massive viewership.
If I could go to another life, I would love to play at the same time as Caitlin Clark just to see if I could guard her. Obviously, now I definitely can't, but I don't know if I have trained for it, I just (want) to see. Coco Gauff said at the press conference
Gauff’s dad Corey Gauff, is a former college basketball player at Georgia State University. He even thought of seeing his daughter become a pro basketball player.
The 2023 US Open champion used to play basketball because her father wanted his children to take up the sport at least once. The Williams sisters, Serena Williams and Venus Williams were the reasons the 20-year-old picked up a tennis racket at the age of six.
Her father, to fulfill, her daughter’s dream, became her coach. Gauff admitted that if she played basketball, her strong area would be defense.
Coco Gauff is enjoying the growth of women’s basketball
Coco Gauff is happy to see women’s basketball getting a lot of viewership. She has been in contact with some basketball players on Instagram and expressed how happy she is about the players getting the recognition they deserve.
I've been on Instagram mutuals with some of the girls. Cameron Brink just signed with New Balance. And Angel Reese had some DMs with her, and the same with Caitlin (Clark) and Paige Bueckers. Coco Gauff said
After her first-round win over Sachia Vickery, Gauff faced Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk but couldn’t win, losing by a scoreline of 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(8-6). Before the Stuttgart Open, she failed to win the Miami Open title as well. The only title she won this year was the ASB Classics in January before losing to Aryna Sabalenka in the season’s first Grand Slam event.
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