"I'm grateful that I had those examples to follow" - Coco Gauff credits Venus and Serena Williams for inspiration to play tennis

American tennis sensation has credited Serena Williams and Venus Williams following her round of 32 win at the San Diego Open on Wednesday.

Gauff, competing for the first time since losing in the quarterfinals of the 2022 US Open, defeated fellow American teenager Robin Montgomery in what was her first career match against an opponent younger than herself.

The more experienced 18-year-old came out on top, winning the match 6-3 6-3 to progress to the next round. Speaking after her win, Gauff stated that both Montgomery and herself were products of the Williams sisters' legacy.

"I mean, it definitely affects the future a lot," admitted Gauff. "I think if Serena and Venus saw this today, two 18-year-olds, both African Americans, playing on the WTA 500 level, I think they'll be proud and I think both of us are products of their legacy."

Gauff also added that she was grateful to have such examples to follow growing up and hoped to inspire the next generation like the Williams sisters did.

"I'm grateful that I had those examples to follow after and I hope that I can maybe be an example myself," added the French Open finalist.

Incidentally, Venus Williams recently revealed that her parents pushed “definitely pushed history” on both herself and her sister Serena Williams.

“For us, it was always important to know where you are, who you are because if you don’t know who you are, you won’t know where you’re going. But most of all, if you don’t know who you are in your history, you’ll have no idea what you need to do to be ready for the world,” she said.

“That was so important and my parents definitely pushed history on us; to know the history of the world and history of African-Americans was super important.”