Despite being retired from tennis for 10 years, Serena Williams is still the player that all the female stars on the WTA circuit look up to.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion has set the bar for females across the globe when it comes to being at the summit of their respective field, and to this day, she remains an inspirational figure.
This week, Williams has once again been in the spotlight. Time Magazine has named Serena as one of the 100 most influential people of 2025 and naturally, the current crop of stars are in awe of the icon.
Photo by Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic
Earlier this year, Coco Gauff was wowed by Williams after her Super Bowl exploits when she joined Kendrick Lamar on stage for one of his hit singles and danced the night away!
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Now, the world number four has been asked about Williams and her latest achievement, with the American extremely happy for the one figure she looks up to in the world of tennis.
Photo by Thomas Niedermueller/Getty ImagesCoco Gauff reacts to Serena Williams and her latest achievement
The 21-year-old clearly looks up to Serena Williams and she is likely to be one of the reasons that she started playing tennis when she was a child.
Williams won the lot and then some. She held all four Grand Slams simultaneously on two occasions during her career and her powerful style of play made her very difficult to beat in her prime.
After Gauff had come through her match with Ella Seidel at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix yesterday, the media quizzed her on Williams and the Time Magazine recognition.
She said in her post-match press conference: “Yeah, it will definitely be a cool thing. I mean, Serena is on another level. Time did, I think, two years ago, part of the list of Women of the Year. That was pretty cool.
“And influential people of all time, I mean, that’s an incredible accomplishment that she definitely deserves. She probably influenced millions, and I’m one of them. Not only in tennis but worldwide, just to be strong women and especially women of colour.
“It’s well-deserved. I wasn’t surprised when I saw that. Her photos looked really good.”
Coco Gauff can be equally instrumental as Serena Williams
In terms of the number of Grand Slams that Gauff will finish with in her career, she will likely finish shy of the haul that Williams collected during her glittering career.
However, in terms of Gauff inspiring the next generation, it feels likely that she’s going to have the same impact as not only Serena Williams but also the Williams sisters on the whole.
The 21-year-old is very mature for her tender years and frankly, she’s one of the more likeable and humble characters currently playing on the WTA Tour.
Gauff will be desperate to get back to winning ways when it comes to one of the big events and perhaps Williams being in the news as an influential person can inspire her in the coming months.