Since making her Grand Slam debut at the age of 17, Coco Gauff has cemented her name in tennis history, one bat swing at a time. In 2021, Gauff broke a 15-year record to become the youngest woman to reach a grand slam quarterfinal at the 2021 French Open.
Not only that, but she became the youngest American woman to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal since Venus Williams did it at the age of 17 at the 1997 U.S. Open.
Gauff won her maiden WTA Tour singles championship at the 2019 Linz Open at the age of 15, becoming the Tour’s youngest singles champion since 2004. She rose to attention after defeating Williams in the first round of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.
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Gauff was born on March 13, 2004, and had, therefore, not even been brought to the world when Williams, who would be her idol, reached her four of nine Wimbledon finals. But the African-American tennis prodigy rose in her field, winning several junior titles before making it to Wimbledon.
Her success on and off the tennis court has made her one of the most marketable sports stars coming of age and already earning millions. According to Forbes, she became the seventh highest-paid female athlete in the world in 2022.
Per Forbes’ calculation, she made $3.1 million on the court and $8 million off the court. The publication further noted that her off-court pay could be even higher if not for the slow-and-steady approach taken by her agent and her parents.
Gauff signed her first off-the-field contract with New Balance at age 14 and recently extended the deal believed to have come with a substantial pay raise, according to Forbes. The brand celebrated the extension by launching a new colorway of Gauff’s signature Coco CG1 performance tennis shoe dubbed “All in the Family.”
“I couldn’t ask for a more committed team that is forward-thinking in their approach and match my love for the game with their passion for quality and creativity,” Gauff said at the time. “New Balance has supported me since my junior tennis years and has been by my side for the biggest moments of my career. The team feels like family, so it was an easy decision to extend with a team that has embraced me as a person and genuinely works to help bring out my best.”
In June 2022, Face2Face Africa reported that the 18-year-old followed in the footsteps of Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams by launching a new series of Coco Gauff NFTs.
Her NFT was part of Autograph’s latest release, which also featured younger athletes like WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu, PGA Tour golfer Collin Morikawa, NFL quarterback Justin Herbert, and NBA star Devin Booker, according to Forbes.
NFT platform Autograph was co-founded by Tom Brady to bring well-known names in sports, entertainment, and culture into digital form. Since then, Autograph has welcomed names like Simone Biles, Tiger Woods, Derek Jeter, Wayne Gretzky, and Usain Bolt.
“I love connecting with my fans, especially my younger fan base,” Gauff said of her autographed NFT. “I wanted my collection to be as colorful, fun, and truthful to my passions as possible.”
