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Cori Gauff: Wimbledon wunderkind is born - sport
- She is only 15 years old and number 273 in the world rankings, but in Wimbledon Cori Gauff plays great.
- This Monday she will play in the round of 16 against Simona Halep.
- Meanwhile, the photo of the "Wimbledon prodigy" is emblazoned on the front pages of almost all British newspapers.
Michelle Obama may not have made things easier. "Coco is terrific", so fantastic, wrote the former First Lady of the USA, who now calls herself "wife, mother, dog lover" and slightly ironic as "constant supreme embrace". Michelle Obama has 12.8 million followers on Twitter, and even those who tend not to follow the flight of tennis balls, the curiosity on "Coco" has now jumped jumped. Cori Gauff, called Coco, 15 years old, can not complain about a lack of interest. At the beginning of last week, she was considered an amazing tennis talent in the All England Club when she successively beat the 39-year-old Venus Williams (USA) and the Slovakian Magdalena Rybarikova.
Meanwhile, the photo of the "Wimbledon prodigy" is emblazoned on the front pages of almost all British newspapers. Now when she goes to the facility, "people are screaming," she said. Even neutral observers outnumber themselves with hymnic tributes: "A star is born," said the grande dame of American tennis, Martina Navratilova, enthusiastic. Serena Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam winner, is "incredibly proud" of the teenager.
Roger Federer even proposes to relax the age limit for girls with their abilities, which is not due to the fact that Gauff is under contract with his agency, as he asserted. The Swiss has already auditioned for the women's organization WTA, because he sees no reason why "young players can not win tournaments even at a young age". In other words, Cori Gauff, the youngest qualifier ever to make it to Wimbledon's main draw, number 273 in the world rankings, is already considered by some to be among the favorites, even though she is only in the second round so far.
It was 3: 6 and 2: 5 from Gauff's point of view
But she has since realized with her own eyes that life can sometimes "change in seconds," as she said at her press conference. The moment of fate, which even Michelle Obama wanted to share on television with the world, can be named exactly. It was 3: 6 and 2: 5 from Gauff's point of view in the third round match of Wimbledon, in which she dueled with 13-year-old Slovenian Polona Hercog. Gauff had a match ball against him, the game was as good as lost.
The Center Court raged to cheer them on. And it was not just John McEnroe, the former Wimbledon winner and current BBC commentator, who doubted the wisdom of the All England club who had decided to move this important game to the biggest stage that such an inexperienced actor has to offer. McEnroe saw a girl - black braids, drooping shoulders - and said, "It's not easy when you're 15. If you're not scared, if you've never been in that situation, if you're suddenly in the spotlight." The voice became more worried: "I think that's all she has now caught up with."