The teenage sensation
Venus Williams made her Wimbledon debut almost seven years before her upcoming opponent was born. In the first round, she will play teenage prodigy Cori Gauff, who is the youngest player in the Open Era to qualify for Wimbledon.
“I kind of felt like I was going to play one of them,” Gauff said.
“Many people have been like ‘do you like your draw?’ – I love my draw. Playing one of the greatest players of all time is a dream – I’m excited to see how I do.”
Despite her young age, Gauff is gaining mass interest. She already has sponsorship deals with food company Barilla, New Balance and Head. Estimated to be worth in the region of $1M. Gauff is a former French Open girls champion and is currently ranked 301st in the world.
The youngest player to have ever won a match at Wimbledon was Jennifer Capriati at the age of 14 years and 90 days.
