Coco Gauff was just 15-years-old when she burst onto the scene in emotional upset of Venus Williams and made Wimbledon history

The US Open champion returns to the scene of her breakthrough at the highest level on the WTA Tour in 2019

Coco Gauff got exactly what she wished for.

The Atlanta native is a Grand Slam champion, the world no.2 and one of the best tennis players in the world.

But in 2019, Gauff was just a 15-year-old American with big eyes and larger dreams – handed a wild card into the qualifying event for Wimbledon.

“I want to be the greatest,” Gauff said. “My dad told me that I could do this when I was eight. Obviously you never believe it. I’m still, like, not 100% confident, but you have to just say things.”

A teenage Gauff also said that she wanted to play one of the Williams sisters.

After becoming the youngest player to emerge through the qualifying route, Gauff was granted her wish and set the stage for a career that has resulted in seven singles titles, more than $14 million in career earnings, and the 2023 US Open women’s crown.

“I’m super shocked, but I’m just super blessed that Wimbledon decided to give me the wild card,” Gauff said. “I mean, I never expected this to happen. Obviously I literally got my dream draw, so I’m just super happy.”

It was Gauff vs Venus Williams in ’19.

Gauff, who started playing tennis at 6 and once idolized Serena Williams with a memorable poster, took the court, embraced the stage she was made for and didn’t look back.