Imagine this — Coco Gauff versus Caitlin Clark.
Tennis has always been a dream of American superstar Gauff, but if she had the option to dabble in another sport, the 2023 U.S. Open champion said she would love to go head-to-head on the basketball court with Clark, the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer.
‘If I could go in another life I would love to play at the same time as Caitlin Clark just to see if I could guard her,’ Gauff, 20, said after her win at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix on Wednesday. ‘Obviously, now I definitely couldn’t, but I don’t know, if I trained for it, (I) just (want) to see.’
She added: ‘It’s funny because my dad was actually talking about that. He was, like, ‘You would have been right up there. You would have been a sophomore. I would have had you shooting Js and everything.”
Gauff played basketball earlier in her childhood. She said her father, Corey, who played college basketball at Georgia State University, encouraged her to play basketball before she focused solely on tennis.
‘That was my dad’s dream, not mine. Tennis was my dream. But, yeah, he said all his kids had to play basketball at least once,’ Gauff said. ‘I was really good on defense. I couldn’t shoot to save my life, but defense I was on it and because it’s the change of direction. And guarding people, I was really good at that.’
Sticking to tennis turned out to be great for Gauff. She’s currently ranked No. 3 in the world, the highest in her career, and No. 1 in doubles. Gauff has a 190-85 career record and already has a major title to her name.
‘I know tennis has been there, and I’m just excited to see these incredible athletes get the recognition that they deserve, and I think in the whole it will uplift our sport and other sports like women’s soccer and all that,’ Gauff said.
Gauff said she’s reached out to several women’s basketball stars and is enjoying the growth in the game.
‘It’s very exciting to see the women’s game especially in basketball getting as much traction now,’ Gauff said. ‘They definitely deserve it. I’ve been Instagram mutuals with some of the girls. Cameron Brink just signed with New Balance. And Angel Reese, had some DMs with her, and same with Caitlin (Clark) and Paige Bueckers.’
Clark was drafted No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever during the 2024 WNBA draft on Monday. Brink went No. 2 to the Los Angeles Sparks and Reese was drafted No. 7 by the Chicago Sky. The draft attracted a record 2.45 million viewers on ESPN.
