Tennis

Coco Gauff Mistaken for Serena and Venus Williams by Fans

Published

2 weeks ago

September 1, 2024

Coco Gauff revealed that fans have mistaken her for six other tennis players in the past.. The world No. 3 shared that she had previously signed autographs as both Venus and Serena Williams. During the Canadian Open in Montreal last year, she was even confuse with local favorite Leylah Fernandez.

Gauff moved on to the third round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday, following straight-set wins against France’s Varvara Gracheva in the first round and Germany Tatjana Maria in the second.

At only 20 years old, the American tennis star has already been a regular on the professional circuit for five years and even won the U.S. Open last year. However, that hasn’t prevented some fans from mistaking her for her rivals, including Serena and Venus Williams.

Gauff previously shared on Twitter that she had signed autographs on behalf of 6 different players. While, with the most recent mix-up happening just a day before her tweet last year. The 7-time title winner responded to a tweet that read. You ever had a racist experience but it was funny tho.

Also read: Nick Kyrgios and Ons Jabeur Criticize Chris Evert Comparison of Karolina Muchova to Men’s Tennis Players

In a quote tweet, Gauff wrote: I sign autographs as myself, but occasionally I also end up signing as Sloane [Stephens], Venus, Serena, Taylor [Townsend], Alycia [Parks], and yesterday I got Leylah for the first time lollll.

Gauff isn’t the only player who’s faced similar situations. Christopher Eubanks, last year’s Wimbledon breakout star, shared that the same thing happened to him at the Citi Open in DC. Responding to Gauff, the world No. 29 American wrote: I got called [Gael] Monfils twice in DC lol.

As she continues to succeed on the tour, Gauff will be hoping her home crowd knows exactly who she is. The former world No. 1 entered Queens as the defending champion, having won her maiden Grand Slam title by defeating Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Aryna Sabalenka defeated the Georgia-born star at the Australian Open in January. Sabalenka, the world No. 2, avenged her previous loss by beating Gauff in the semi-final. Moreover, then went on to secure a straight-sets victory over China’s Zheng Quinten in the final.

Gauff claimed her first doubles Grand Slam title at the French Open in June. However, partnering with world No. 2 doubles player Katerina Siniakova to defeat the Italian duo of Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini. The American will face former U.S. Open semi-finalist Elina Svitolina in the third round on Friday.