Daniel Leal-Olivas/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
WIMBLEDON, England — Whatever happens in the second week of Wimbledon, Coco Gauff already has made a huge impact less than four months after turning 15.
“No matter how she does the rest of the way, she’s already won our hearts,” said Chris Evert, an 18-time Grand Slam singles champion.
Evert won a few hearts of her own when, at the age of 16, she reached the semifinals of the 1971 United States Open in her first Grand Slam tournament. She generated front-page stories and international buzz as the youngest semifinalist of the Open era, even if Grand Slam tournaments were not as career defining then as they are now.