Wimbledon offers one of the most distinctive sporting spectacles on the planet. Two weeks of top-quality tennis played in the delightful surroundings of the All England Club in London, it is the only Grand Slam event played on grass, and combines history and tradition with the best of modern sport on a surface that provides for thrilling and dynamic tennis.
Big shocks and surprises are also part of the Wimbledon package and fans tuning in to watch this year’s tournament on the BBC have already been treated to one of the tennis world’s greatest ever upsets, as teenager Cori ‘Coco’ Gauff defeated the five-time Wimbledon Champion Venus Williams in straight sets on the opening day of the 2019 tournament.
At the astonishingly young age of 15 years and 122 days, Gauff was already the youngest player in the history of the Open era to make it to the main Wimbledon draw, and up against her idol, whose first Wimbledon victory came four years before Gauff was born, the newest rising star of American tennis showed incredible maturity not just to match Williams, but to stay calm on Court One.
Gauff began her tennis journey at seven, and by the age of thirteen, was making an impact. Last year she won the junior French Open shortly after her fourteenth birthday, and although her ranking was not high enough to qualify her for Wimbledon, she earned a wildcard and took full advantage, eventually winning her final qualifying round in straight sets, despite having sat a science exam the night before. And up against one of the legends of modern tennis, she made an immediate impact, breaking Williams’ serve to take a 3-2 lead in the opening set, and then holding her nerve and her serve to pull off one of the major underdog victories in Wimbledon history.
There is also a hugely symbolic quality to the victory. Venus Williams reached the US Open final at her first attempt at the age of eighteen in 1998, and her younger sister Serena won her first singles title at seventeen. The Williams sisters’ rise to the top of the sport was a story of talent, courage and determination, and has helped to pave the way for talented African-American tennis players to reach their full potential in the sport.
How far can Gauff go in this tournament? She will face less high profile but equally tough opponents as she moves through the rounds, and the physical and mental demands required may eventually take their toll on the teenager. But while progressing to the latter stages of this year’s Wimbledon might be beyond her, after her heroics on Monday, you can be sure that tennis punters will be scouring the best odds on Bigbetbookmakers.com to back Gauff for future glory.
