Patrick Mouratoglou has admitted that Coco Gauff impressed her big time in her first meeting when she was in the beginning of her junior career.
Gauff was just 10 years old when Mouratoglou met her for the first time and immediately felt that the kid was destined for greatness. The coach recognized that her drive to excel was already visible and Mouratoglou marked her as a rare talent.
“I felt that she was someone so driven, so much confidence in her ability, and that wanted it so much that I felt she had the complete package to reach the top of the game,” Mouratoglou revealed to CNN in a talk.
“When she left the office, I told the guys: ‘This one, we take her with us and she can be great’.”
The Frenchman was surprised by Gauff’s willingness to keep going on the court when her peers were stopping.
“The fitness test was incredible for her age,” said Mouratoglou.
“Her competitiveness when it came to playing matches against other players was impressive. She was able to beat players that were technically better than her because of her competitiveness.”
What came into the top coach’s sights didn’t remain a secret for long with the whole tennis fraternity and tennis world now talking about how big of talent is 19-year-old.
“Coco has been making history since she was a kid, literally,” said Mouratoglou. “At 13 and a half years old, she was in the finals of the US Open in juniors. At 14, she was winning Roland Garros in juniors.”
Patrick feels that Gauff has been able to rise to the occasion and deal with the pressure at the biggest stages of the game as she has always made her mark as the next big force in the women’s tennis.
“She has learned to deal with [the pressure] at a young age, and that explains partly her ability to win her first grand slam final at only 19 years old.
“She can still improve so much – which is a good thing, by the way – in many aspects of her game, but I think with her drive, her team, her motivation and her abilities, she definitely can win a few [more majors],” added Mouratoglou.
“Americans say, ‘Sky’s the limit.’ I don’t see any limit and I would not give her any limits.”
Mouratoglou credited Serena Williams – whom he has worked with as a coach for quite some period – and her sister Venus have launched many careers including Gauff’s.
“I think the Williams sisters have inspired a lot of African Americans and Black people in general,” the coach said.
“Before them, very few people of color have been at the top of the game in that sport.
“You feel it’s not a place for you because you don’t see any people that look like you there. And I think Venus and Serena really opened a big gate for people of color in that sport, and that’s amazing.
“When you see someone that looks like you, who is winning grand slams, making history, and there are two of them, you think, ‘maybe it’s possible for me, too.’
“And that’s the inspiration.”