Coco Gauff has etched her name in tennis history one bat swing at a time since making her Grand Slam debut at the age of 17. At the 2021 French Open, Gauff broke a 15-year record by becoming the youngest woman to reach a grand slam quarterfinal.
Not only that, but she became the youngest American woman to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal since Venus Williams did so at the 1997 U.S. Open when she was 17 years old.
Gauff won her first WTA Tour singles title at the 2019 Linz Open, becoming the Tour’s youngest singles champion since 2004. She gained notoriety after beating Williams in the first round of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.
Gauff was born on March 13, 2004, and thus had not yet entered the world when Williams, her idol, reached four of her nine Wimbledon finals. However, the African-American tennis prodigy rose through the ranks, winning several junior titles before reaching Wimbledon.
Her success on and off the tennis court has made her one of the most marketable sports stars of her generation, earning millions of dollars. According to Forbes, she will be the world’s seventh highest-paid female athlete in 2022.
According to Forbes, she earned $3.1 million on the court and $8 million off the court. Her off-court pay could be even higher if her agent and parents didn’t take such a slow and steady approach, according to the publication.
Gauff signed her first off-the-field contract with New Balance at the age of 14 and recently extended the deal, which Forbes reports came with a significant pay raise. The brand marked the occasion by releasing a new colorway of Gauff’s signature Coco CG1 performance tennis shoe called “All in the Family.”
“I couldn’t ask for a more committed team that is forward-thinking in their approach and match my love for the game with their passion for quality and creativity,” Gauff said at the time. “New Balance has supported me since my junior tennis years and has been by my side for the biggest moments of my career. The team feels like family, so it was an easy decision to extend with a team that has embraced me as a person and genuinely works to help bring out my best.”
HowAfrica reported in June 2022 that the 18-year-old had followed in the footsteps of Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams by launching a new series of Coco Gauff NFTs.
According to Forbes, her NFT was part of Autograph’s latest release, which also included younger athletes such as WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu, PGA Tour golfer Collin Morikawa, NFL quarterback Justin Herbert, and NBA star Devin Booker.
Platform for NFT Tom Brady co-founded Autograph in order to bring well-known names in sports, entertainment, and culture into digital form. Autograph has since welcomed stars such as Simone Biles, Tiger Woods, Derek Jeter, Wayne Gretzky, and Usain Bolt.
“I love connecting with my fans, especially my younger fan base,” Gauff said of her autographed NFT. “I wanted my collection to be as colorful, fun, and truthful to my passions as possible.”