While Serena is nursing a torn right hamstring, Venus has a leg injury that has kept her out of the year’s final Major.

For the fast-rising Coco Gauff, who has modeled parts of her game after Venus and Serena, not having either of them in the draw is a big disappointment. Following her 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 win over Magda Linette in the first round of the US Open, Gauff was asked to share her thoughts on the absence of the Williams sisters.

The World No. 23 admitted that the news of their withdrawal came as a shock to her, especially since she has so many childhood memories of watching them play in New York.

Gauff then went on to recollect the time when, as an eight-year-old, she got a ball from one of Venus’ matches at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The teenager added that she’s seen Serena play “a couple of times” at the stadium court of the US Open.

“Facing her I guess is going to be a full-circle moment” - Coco Gauff on 2r opponent Sloane Stephens

Up next for Coco Gauff is another very familiar name - Sloane Stephens. Gauff and Stephens go back a long way; the two have a lot of things in common, right from attending each other’s birthday parties to starting their respective tennis careers with the same coach.

Coco Gauff opened up about her relationship with the former US Open champion, who earlier on Monday battled her way past fellow American Madison Keys in a rematch of the 2017 final.

Gauff also claimed she is ready to deal with the pace and frequency of shots coming back from the other end of the court when the two face off on Wednesday.

“Today was probably one of the most nervous I’ve been for a match” - Coco Gauff

Regarding her own first-round win over Magda Linette, Coco Gauff conceded that she was a bundle of nerves in the initial parts of the match. The Parma champion was trailing by a set and a break before she managed to steady the ship.

Gauff credited the crowd for helping to soothe her nerves.

“I would say Patrick is kind of like the overseer” - Coco Gauff on Mouratoglou

Although Coco Gauff is coached by her father Corey, she also occasionally works with Patrick Mouratoglou - the man who has Serena Williams and Stefanos Tsitsipas under his wing too. Mouratoglou’s expertise has given Gauff’s career the edge it needs and has propelled her to a career-high ranking of No. 23, where she is perched currently.

While explaining how Mouratoglou has been instrumental to her success, the youngster called him the “overseer.”

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