Tennis Star Coco Gauff and Her Family Just Suffered a Devastating COVID-19 Loss
Young tennis star Coco Gauff has had a rapid rise to fame in the last year.
Gauff, 16, quickly became a fan favorite and one of the world’s most popular female tennis players. The Florida-born Gauff rose to prominence when she upset Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019.
Although Gauff has had a solid 2020 season on the court, her family just suffered a devastating COVID-19 blow.
Coco Gauff is a rising tennis star
Cori “Coco” Gauff is so young that when she was born in March 2004, ace pitcher Curt Schilling and the Boston Red Sox still hadn’t broken their 86-year title drought.
Age has proven to be no obstacle for Gauff, one of the world’s top young tennis players.
Born in Delray Beach, Fla., Gauff became interested in tennis as a toddler watching Serena Williams play.
Gauff followed in the Williams sisters’ footsteps — both Serena and Venus — and made her junior Grand Slam debut at the 2017 US Open. After several months of rising through the ranks, Gauff qualified for Wimbledon’s main draw in 2019.
Gauff upset Aliona Bolsova, the top seed, in the first round and took down Greet Minnen in the third round.
Gauff famously upset Venus Williams in her main draw debut. She made it to the fourth round, losing to eventual champion Simona Halep in the process.
Coco Gauff has a bright future in the sport
Coco Gauff opened 2020 as the 67th-best tennis player in the world.
Gauff had another impressive showing at a Grand Slam, taking down Venus Williams and Naomi Osaka, among others, at the Australian Open in January. She later returned home for an exhibition match at the Delray Beach Open in February.
Gauff resumed play at the Top Seed Open after tennis paused for COVID-19 reasons.
According to WTAtennis.com, Gauff is the 48th-ranked women’s tennis player in the world as of Nov. 21, 2020.
Gauff and her family just suffered a devastating COVID-19 loss
Although Coco Gauff is back on the court and hard at work, her family just suffered a devastating COVID-19 blow.
Gauff’s family ran the Paradise Sports Lounge, a restaurant located in Delray Beach, Fla., where Gauff grew up and still lives. The restaurant served as the home for watch parties whenever Gauff played a tournament.
Because of the hardships related to the coronavirus pandemic, Paradise Sports Lounge announced that it is closing on Facebook.
“Although we tried to operate a business during these challenging times and more importantly provide stability and income to our loyal staff, we have made the ultimate decision to close. Thank you for an incredible experience and support!”
According to WPTV Channel 5 in Florida, the restaurant’s doors were already locked on Friday, November 20.
The news is a harsh blow to a local community that regularly supported Gauff at the restaurant. Gauff had not publicly commented on her family’s decision to close the restaurant at publication.
Like Sportscasting on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @sportscasting19.
