Coco Gauff says she’s “ready” for higher levels of fame

The first thing Coco Gauff did after leaving the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium, with her first Grand Slam trophy, was to wear the jersey of the sponsor declaring her champion. So it starts.

Gauff has been in the spotlight since she was 15 years old when she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, but after winning the singles title at the US Open on Saturday, that spotlight may be blinding and fame a distraction. Additional endorsement offers will flow in – commercial photo shoots, exposure opportunities, business projects, investment offers and invitations to A-list social events will pile up in the near and long future.

Gauff has shown a quiet maturity during her time in the public eye, declaring herself ready to take on the challenge of becoming more famous and richer, even as she tries to keep winning important tournaments.

Gauff said after her victory over Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2: “I am ready.” “I embrace it. I know how to keep my peace, but I also know how to accept all of this around me.

The level of fame that comes with being an American teenager who wins the US Open can be both astounding and exhausting for some. Gauff is the first since Serena Williams won in 1999 at the age of 17. Young athletes in every sport have been overshadowed by early success, fame and money. They may lose focus, party too hard, tap into the hunger that led them to their first tournament, or become reckless.

This does not appear to be a problem for Gove so far. After accepting her $3 million check, Gauff casually thanked Billie Jean King, who was also on stage, for fighting for equal pay for women, a gesture that demonstrated her perspective, humor and charm, all at once.

“She’s very humble,” her coach, Perry Ripa, said after the game. “Her work ethic is very strong, very professional and has very good manners. Put it all together and she gets better. She can handle everything.”

Ripa has only been working with Gauff, alongside Brad Gilbert, since June, just before Wimbledon. Goff’s father, Corey Goff, asked Ripa to be his daughter’s coach this summer on a temporary basis that became permanent. Coco Goff said her father recommended Gilbert be hired as well. But Corey Gauff remains a constant influence and inspiration.

“The most important person for Coco on the team is the father,” Ripa said. “Parents are really important to her.”

Late Saturday night, Corey Gauff walked out to Players Park, where family and friends gathered, while Coco Gauff answered questions at a news conference. They cheered and rushed to him as he held the coach’s cup, and he smiled humbly and distributed hugs.

In terms of tennis, Gauff still has room for improvement, which is a worrying fact for competitors. She will likely add some power to her impressive speed game, and will continue to shore up her forehand, which she mostly remedied before the start of the summer hard court tournament.

“It still has to continue to reform,” Ripa said. “There were old habits, and you have to keep cleaning them every day, keep working because it took a long time to do it this way. But it corrects really well.”

In the next few days, Goff’s schedule could be demanding. She will be asked to appear on national television programs and take photos. She will be invited to parties. Celebrities will connect and some, including former President Barack Obama, who watched Gauff’s first match at this year’s US Open at Ashe, and Post his congratulations For her on social media on Saturday, they will express their admiration.

For players like Emma Raducano, who won her first US Open two years ago, winning a major title at a young age brought wealth and fame, but he had yet to achieve consistent tennis success. Since then, Raducano has been eliminated before the third round in the five Grand Slam tournaments she has competed in after winning the US Open.

But Gauff, whose career earnings before Saturday in singles and doubles had topped $8 million, was playing in her fifth U.S. Open, and people had been pointing to her for years as the next great American champion. Success did not come in an instant.

“This is a huge accomplishment, but I feel like I’ve been used to it since I was 15,” she said. “In high school, I was studying online, and I was used to it.”

Marion Bartoli, the 2013 Wimbledon champion, told Sky Sports after the match that Gauff’s head in the next few days would be spinning “like a washing machine”, with all the attention and responsibilities she faces. But Ripa said Goff just isn’t ready for that.

“Coco is ready for more,” he said.