Coco Gauff admits only now she understands the sacrifices that her parents made to help her pursue her tennis dreams.
Gauff, who was born in Atlanta, was six when she made her first tennis steps. At the time, she and her family lived in a grandparents' house. Both of her parents were employed as her father worked as a basketball coach while her mother as an educator.
After Gauff showed early talent and potential for tennis, her family decided to move to Florida so she could continue with her tennis lessons at the New Generation Tennis Academy. That move paid off massively as she is now a two-time Grand Slam champion and the highest-ranked American female tennis player.
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Gauff: It's crazy... We went from a two-income household to a no-income household
"At the time, I don't think I grasped how, because you know, you don't know any concept of money or anything. And yeah, like for me, when we moved from Georgia, we lived with my grandparents like, in their house," the 21-year-old said during a conversation with Forbes.
"Um, and obviously as a kid, you're not thinking, 'Oh, it's to save money or whatever. I'm just like, 'Oh, I get to go live in Florida, live with my grandparents, and that's so fun to be around my cousins and everything. But now I'm looking back like, yeah, that's crazy. Like we went from a two-income household to a no-income household."
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Now, Gauff is one of the highest-earning players in the tennis world. So far in her career, the 21-year-old has collected $29 million in tournament prize money. According to Forbes, only this year she bagged $25 million through her sponsorship and endorsement deals.
"But I'm just eager to improve and get better," Gauff said in the same interview.
