US’ Coco Gauff Vs UK’s Emma Raducanu

Jun 07, 2023 10:00AM ● By Mike Butscher

Gauff at 2019 French Open, Wikimedia Commons, Raducanu at Wimbledon in 2018, Wikimedia Commons

They are both world class tennis sensation who stunned the world at Wimbledon 2019 Open in London. Gauff was 15 when she became the youngest female to play at the main draw of Wimbledon in 2019 after receiving a wild card. She surprisingly defeated five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, one of her tennis idols in the first round. With her win at the Austria’s Linz Open, she becomes the youngest American woman to claim a top-100 ranking since Jennifer Capriati in 1990.

Gauff also reached the third round of the U.S. Open and won her first singles title. In 2021, she added a second singles title to her name and played in the quarterfinal of the 2022 French Open. In 2020, Gauff reached the fourth round of the Australian Open after beating Naomi Osaka in the third round. Gauff ascended to the quarterfinals of the French Open in 2021, to become the youngest player to reach that spot since 2006.

Raducanu introduced herself to the world in 2021 aged 18 at the time to become the youngest Briton to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon SW19. After beating Venus Williams in the first round, she made it through to the second week and lost to eventual champion Simona Halep.

Two months on in 2021, still only 18, Raducanu became the first qualifier to emerge victorious in US Open in New York, winning 10 matches without dropping a set in victorious grand slam run to take home $2.6 million as prize money. “It was an achievement that was so premature in her career and exploded her onto the world stage”, media reports described Raducanu’s victory. Others say her act was one of the biggest shocks in sporting history.

In January 2023, both met again at the Melbourne Australian Open 2023 with Raducanu losing in straight sets to Coco Gauff in an enthralling second-round match. The 20-year-old battled an ankle injury before the Melbourne major.

Tennis sensation in Australia January 2023 after each winning first round. Credit: AP/Getty Images

Raducanu is ranked 77th and Gauff is ranked seventh in world tennis.

Gauff, 5’ 9”, was born on March 13, 2004, to Candi Odom Gauff and Corey Gauff, both of whom are from Delray Beach, Florida. She has two younger brothers all born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia.

Father, Corey, was a basketball player at Georgia State, and Candi was a hurdler and heptathlete at Florida State. Inspired by the Williams’ father, Coco’s parents set out a plan for her daughter that has paid off. Coco’s mother is her private teacher.

Gauff is said to be worth $3.8m. With her brand partnerships with sports major New Balance, tennis equipment company, Barilla, food items, and Microsoft, she has already generated millions in prize money and sponsorships at the outset of her career.

Gauff won $538,103 in prize money in 2019 and $509,862 in 2020. Her winnings climbed to more than $1 million in 2021. She also has endorsement deals with companies that include New Balance and Barilla. Gauff is represented by Team8, an agency co-founded by Roger Federer.

Coco Wins WTA title aged 15 at 2019 Linz Open in Austria. Credit: onlinegambling.com

Emma Raducanu, 5’ 9” (1.75 cm), was born in Toronto, Canada on 13th November 2002. Her family moved to the U.K., London when she was 2 years old and she grew up here. Her father, Ian, is of Romanian origin, and mom Renee, is of Chinese descent. She has a brother.

Besides playing tennis, she loves to write, draw, read and play football. Finished school at Newstead Wood School Bromley in London and she has A-levels in Maths and Economics.

Raducanu is currently coached by Andrew Richardson, former professional player but never won an ATP succeeding Nigel Sears, a proven and more senior coach. Her father, Ian, is still an important part of her team and has a say on her coaching but tennis experts believe Raducanu’s frequent change of coaches is affecting her performance.

She has sponsorship and agreements. Raducanu is also the brand ambassador of Vodafone, Porsche, Tiffany & Co, and the popular watch brand Dior. She is also earning quite a lot from her sponsorship with Nike and Wilson. Her estimated net worth is a minimum of $7 million.

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

Despite the hectic schedule, Raducanu still managed to find time to visit her grandmother in Romania, whom she loves spending time with.

She said: “My grandma, Mamiya, still lives in central Bucharest. I go back a couple times a year, stay with her, see her. It’s really nice. I love the food. The food is unbelievable. And my grandma’s cooking is also something special.”

The pair have beaten the odds to change tennis history in several ways and demonstrated to the world that they are the new breed of tennis champions with age in their favour. Both are irresistible to watch. They have a lot more surprises coming. and have a lot in common and are poised to win many more accolades for their countries.