A well-known story in tennis lore is Virginia Ruzici’s 1978 Roland Garros victory and the subsequent pay-cheque she received – scenes Richard Williams witnessed on television and which inspired him to guide daughters Venus and Serena into the sport.
They flourished, and later, one of Serena’s own Grand Slam victories inspired Coco Gauff’s father in a similar way.
Corey Gauff, who joined this week’s episode of The Sit-Down podcast, was a collegiate footballer who played several sports when growing up in the 1970s, including tennis.
When asked why this was the sport his daughter pursued, he said it was an idea inspired by seeing Williams defeat Justine Henin in a memorable Australian Open final in 2010.
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“I was watching Serena actually win here, when Coco was five years old,” he recalled.
“Even in college, my teammates used to laugh that I’d get up at breakfast for Wimbledon, I’d get up in the middle of the night and watch the Australian Open, because I was still very much a tennis fan.
LISTEN: Corey Gauff on The Sit-Down
“And Serena won one year and I got excited; she was jumping around and we were excited and then I went out and bought her a tennis racquet.
“I thought that, you know, maybe she would be a good tennis player. I knew that she’d be a pretty good athlete, but just wasn’t sure what sport it would be.”
Fifteen years ago, Williams won a memorable three-set final over arch-rival Henin, their one and only meeting in a Grand Slam final.
It was the fifth of Serena’s seven Australian Open titles, and the first time she’d defended her crown at Melbourne Park.
“Then I went out and bought (Coco) a little Prince racquet and a little soft spongy ball,” Gauff continued, “and she started hitting against the garage and she just kinda stayed there, hitting them and hitting them.
“My mind started turning, like, maybe it’s a possibility.
“But we didn’t do much with it at (age) five. We kinda revisited the whole thing when she turned seven.”
Gauff developed into a prodigious junior talent who hit world No.1 not long after winning the 2018 Roland Garros girls’ singles title.
At just 15 years of age, she burst into the global consciousness with her run to the fourth round of the women’s singles at Wimbledon in 2019.
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Four years later, she won her first Grand Slam singles title at the 2023 US Open.
Fifteen years after Williams won in Melbourne, Gauff – seeded No.3 at Australian Open 2025 – is now just three wins away from replicating that feat.
She plays Paula Badosa on Tuesday, seeking a second straight appearance in the AO semifinals.
Listen to the full episode of The Sit-Down, a weekly podcast released each Monday featuring an in-depth interview with a notable tennis identity. Subscribe to The Sit-Down in your favourite podcast player.