Last night, I couldn’t sleep. I had this urge to get up to find out the score. Two nights ago, a similar thing happened. My insomnia was caused by the keen interest to see how Coco Gauff, the 15-year-old tennis prodigy that is making waves in Wimbledon.
A week ago, I chanced upon a documentary about her life on Youtube. It looked very similar to the documentary on the young Serena sisters I remember seeing nearly two decades ago. The documentary on Coco showed her modest home and remember seeing the poster of Serena Williams in her bedroom. Little did I know that a few days later, she got a wildcard entry into Wimbledon. She won 3 qualifying matches to enter the main draw. And she faced one of her idols in the first match, Venus Williams. Stunningly, she defeated the 5-time Wimbledon champion in straight sets.
Sure, she is playing really good tennis. But there were two other things that made me root for her. The first is her amazing appetite for success. Her composed confidence is amazing. She didn’t mince words when she said she has her eyes on the title and knows she will be among the greats. Mind you, she did not sound cocky. Just calm self-assured confidence. The second thing that impressed me about her is her answers at the press conference. I enjoyed watching her tackle questions in the press conference as much as watching her play on the tennis court.
I have two daughters and I want them to learn these characteristics in life. If you have kids, make them know about Coco Gauff. There’s so much for them (and us) to learn.
