Coco Gauff picked up the racket at the age of six. What inspired her? It was hearing her father, Corey Gauff, call Serena Williams “the GOAT” while watching the 2010 Australian Open. Her curiosity about the word and its meaning led the young star to proclaim, “I want to be a GOAT.” What followed were hours spent on local tennis courts in Delray, homeschooling, and loads of dedication from her parents and herself to kickstart her journey. Now, at 22, Coco boasts two Grand Slam titles and holds the No. 2 spot in the WTA rankings. But no matter what, she always looks to the one who stood behind her the entire way.

On Saturday, Coco melted hearts on Instagram with an old childhood photo of her and her father. She captioned it, “Happy birthday to the best to ever do it, the man with a plan

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