Corey Gauff: Serena’s AO triumph in 2010 was the starting signal for Coco’s tennis journey

“I actually saw Serena win here when Coco was five years old,” he recalled.

“Even in college, my teammates laughed at me getting up at breakfast for Wimbledon, getting up in the middle of the night and watching the Australian Open because I was still a huge tennis fan.”

LISTEN: Corey Gauff continues The sit down

“And Serena won one year and I was excited; “She was jumping around and we were excited and then I went out and bought her a tennis racket.”

“I thought she might be a good tennis player. I knew she would be a pretty good athlete, but I wasn’t sure what sport it would be.”

Fifteen years ago, Williams won a memorable three-set final over his arch-rival Henin, their only meeting in a Grand Slam final.

It was the fifth of Serena’s seven Australian Open titles and the first time she defended her crown at Melbourne Park.

“Then I went out and bought (Coco) a little Prince bat and a little soft squishy ball,” Gauff continued, “and she started hitting the garage and she just stayed there, hitting her over and over again .

“My mind started spinning, maybe this is a possibility.

“But at the age of five we didn’t do much with it. When she turned seven, we watched the whole thing again.”