Coco Gauff has opened up about the influence Serena Williams has had on her – revealing she even earned her first paycheck thanks to the tennis icon starring in an ad.
Gauff was quoted by WTA tennis as paying tribute to the 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams.
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Coco Gauff&#8217;s first Instagram picture was a snap with Serena Williams when she was 11 years old
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Gauff has paid tribute to the retiring Williams and the influence she has had over her
Speaking of their first meeting, Gauff said: &#8216;I think I was 9 or 10 years old.
&#8216;They needed a stunt double to play a young version of her, just the neck down. I think it was for a Delta commercial.
&#8216;I stopped by her trailer, took a picture. She probably doesn&#8217;t even know. My mom actually sent me a picture a couple weeks ago of me waiting, getting my hair done by the people.
&#8216;I don&#8217;t think they ever used it, but that was the first check I ever got as a kid. She doesn&#8217;t know this, but the first money I ever made for myself was because of her doing a commercial.&#8217;
And Gauff, whose first ever Instagram post was a picture with Serena when she was 11, admits she continues to take inspirations from Williams since they have been peers on the tennis circuit.
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Coco Gauff earned her first paycheck as a 10-year-old playing a stunt double as a young Serena Williams
&#8216;Growing up I never thought that I was different because the No.1 player in the world was somebody who looked like me,&#8217; Gauff said. &#8216;I think that&#8217;s the biggest thing that I can take from what I&#8217;ve learned from Serena.
&#8216;Then also on a more personal level, I got to have a couple conversations with her later on in life. I think it&#8217;s just the way that she handles herself. She never puts herself down. I love that she always elevates herself.
&#8216;Sometimes being a woman, a black woman in the world, you kind of settle for less. I feel like Serena taught me that, from watching her, she never settled for less. I can&#8217;t remember a moment in her career or life that she settled for less.
&#8216;I think that&#8217;s something I took from her. As a person, I&#8217;m growing into being an adult and learning how to handle things now with the media and tennis and everything. I&#8217;m trying to learn to not settle for less.&#8217;

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Coco Gauff earned her first paycheck when she played the role of Serena Williams at just 10 years old