“That’s the mentality [Kobe’s] that I have,” Coco Gauff said, after she won her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open two years back. She channeled the mindset of the great Kobe Bryant, who has inspired Gauff ever since she was a kid. Recently, as well, Gauff has been living her dream at the moment, winning the French Open. The American sensation defeated Aryna Sabalenka in a come-from-behind victory to clinch her maiden title on the clay-courts in Paris. While Gauff has been motivated by the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, throughout her career, did you know that Kobe Bryant also played a big role in her successes?
Bryant was a big fan of tennis and often followed the sport. Even before the American sensation became renowned in the tennis world, Bryant had seen her play in one of the tournaments, during which he was left in awe of her playing style and also gave a valuable piece of advice to Gauff. “It’s amazing at that age to have not just the skill she possesses, but the poise,” Bryant once said about Gauff. Recently, during the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast, CBS Sports’ Isabel Gonzalez opened up about the connection betweeen Bryant and Gauff, and how Bryant inspired Gauff’s success.
Gonzalez said, “She wasn’t just sitting next to the Bryant family like she has a backstory with that because she was a young star she turned pro when she was I think like 14, 15 and Kobe talked about her a lot before and he was a tennis fan he didn’t get to go to a lot of tennis matches but eventually he made it to one.”
2025 Roland-Garros – Day 14 PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 7: Coco Gauff of US plays against Aryna Sabalenka not seen during the Women s Singles final match on Day 14 of the 2025 French Open at Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris, France on June 7, 2025. Mustafa Yalcin / Anadolu Paris France. Editorial use only. Please get in touch for any other usage. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxTURxUSAxCANxUKxJPNxITAxFRAxAUSxESPxBELxKORxRSAxHKGxNZL Copyright: x2025xAnadoluxMustafaxYalcinx
Further, she went on to add. “That was when Coco was 15 so he was asked about it he was like “Hey what do you think about her?” And he said “You know as a young player you have a lot of things in your plate it’s going to be like media stuff a lot of outside noise but you got to map out what you want your career to look like and you got to work on that.”
“So Coco is still of course really young but she did follow a lot of that advice it was really cool because in 2023 at the US Open she um was quoting Kobe Bryant she made it to the final and she was like “Job’s not done yet.” She had that whole serious face like “Not done yet I’m not going to celebrate that I made it to the final,” continued Gonzalez.
Meanwhile, Gauff’s father, Corey also talked about how Gauff used Bryant as an inspiration during her French Open success. Corey mentioned, “She loves Kobe Bryant. He left a long list of lessons, (such as), ‘Always focus on the craft.’ They asked Kobe: ‘Do you love winning or do you hate losing?’ And he said he loved to figure things out,” he said. “If you approach sports that way, you find more enjoyment in it.”
After her French Open win, Gauff also attended a WNBA game between the New York Liberty and the Chicago Sky. It was also attended by Bryant’s family, who gave a standing ovation to Gauff. Further, she sat beside Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, and their daughters Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. Meanwhile, Gauff has already begun her preparations for the upcoming Wimbledon Championships. Ahead of the tournament, she made a candid confession about winning the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.
Coco Gauff sounds confident ahead of Wimbledon
The grass courts at Wimbledon haven’t been a very happy hunting ground for Coco Gauff. Although she secured her first win at a Grand Slam match at Wimbledon, defeating Venus Williams, she has failed to make it past the fourth round here. Nonetheless, with her impressive form of late, Gauff is pumped up to continue her winning run.
During an interview, she said, “I think I can give myself the best shot [of winning Wimbledon] by trying to keep the moment [winning the French Open] as minimised as possible. I’m kind of trying to forget the Roland Garros win, honestly. Just to stay hungry. After [my] US Open win, for the rest of that season I was like, ‘I won the US Open, the season’s almost over, I’m pretty satisfied.’”
Ahead of the Wimbledon Championships, Coco Gauff will play at the German Open in Berlin. While Gauff would be one of the favorites at Wimbledon, she has to keep herself grounded and not get carried away with the pressure of expectations if she has to shine at the tournament.
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