Teenager Cori Gauff aiming for the stars ahead of facing idol Venus Williams at Wimbledon

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When Venus Williams won the first of her five Wimbledon titles, Cori ‘Coco’ Gauff was still four years away from being born.

Today, the pair — 24 years apart in age — are due to meet in the third match on No1 Court at Wimbledon, with 15-year-old Gauff not lacking in confidence despite the magnitude of the occasion and her opponent.

In the build-up to her first Grand Slam match, she takes to the grass with one ambition: “I want to be the best of all time — better than Serena.”

That she finds herself against the elder of the Williams sisters is apt. Aged eight, she went to the US Open for the first time to watch her opponent today and came away with an autograph and a ball from the match.

And of the sisters, she said: “I play tennis because of them. They’re great role models for the sport and in general. I’m super excited to play against Venus. I felt like I was going to play one of them. I love the draw. Playing one of the greatest players of all time is a dream.”

There are echoes of the sisters in the power game of the world No301, who is the youngest player ever to qualify for Wimbledon’s main draw, having won three matches at Roehampton to book her spot without the loss of a single set.Today was merely the stepping stone for Gauff. Already a Grand Slam winner in the junior ranks from last year’s French Open, she is being looked after by the same management group as Roger Federer and sponsorship experts predict she will earn $1million off the court this year alone — an impressive feat for a player who has yet to play a Grand Slam match and last week was sitting exams while also trying to qualify for Wimbledon.

In her box will be Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena’s coach, who has also been working with Gauff.

He said: “She’s going to feel like it’s the best day of her life and play according to that. If she plays a good match, everybody’s going to tweet that she’s the next No1, she’s going to win several Grand Slams. But she’s far from there. Of course she has the potential, but we should let her make her way.”

In Pictures | Players to watch at Wimbledon 2019

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Serena, too, will have a close eye on the match involving her older sibling and one of the rising stars of American tennis.

“She’s an exciting young player and she’s cool,” said the younger Williams sister ahead of the first-round encounter. “She’s a great girl, I love her dad, they’re just really cool people.

“It’s a great moment for her and for Venus. It’s going to be a big moment for Venus as well. She’s playing against a player who reminds me of Venus, just her body and everything.”

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