Tennis star Coco Gauff reveals the best life advice Venus Williams has ever given her

• Coco Gauff became a tennis star after beating Venus Williams at 15. Now they play doubles together.
• Gauff told Insider the best advice Williams ever gave her was during the 2021 French Open.

Coco Gauff has admired Serena and Venus Williams since she was 4 years old. And it was her headline-making win against Venus when she was just 15 that turned her into a bona fide tennis star.

Gauff recently sat down with Insider to discuss her partnership with Barilla ahead of the US Open, and she revealed what it was like to now play doubles alongside one of her idols.

The 19-year-old has learned a lot from her teammate, and she said the best life advice Venus ever gave her was during the 2021 French Open.

"I was playing doubles with her and I broke a racket in front of Venus," Gauff recalled. "And she was just like, 'You're good, let your emotions happen. It's OK to feel what you're feeling and let them exit your body — don't hold them in. On the court, your feelings are valid and it's OK to show them.'"

Gauff ended up making history during the tournament as she became the youngest woman to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal in 15 years. She was also the youngest American to reach the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam since Venus at the 1997 US Open.

At Wimbledon this year, Gauff told reporters that her first win against Venus during the first round of the 2019 tournament was "the start of everything for me."

"I think life is a domino effect," she said. "I don't know if that domino didn't happen or if that domino was pulled out where I would be now. But I think that was a pivotal moment in my life."

When they're not on the court, Gauff told Insider that she and Venus swap hair advice and Serena teaches her dance moves.

In past interviews, Gauff has also credited Serena with being a huge inspiration in her tennis career.

"I love that she always elevates herself," Gauff said during the 2022 US Open media day. "Sometimes being a woman, a Black woman in the world, you settle for less. I feel like Serena taught me that, from watching her, she never settled for less. I can't remember a moment in her career or life that she settled for less."

Gauff, who advanced to the second round of the 2023 US Open on Monday, also shared her one pre-match superstition with Insider.

Gauff said she always eats the same pasta before a big tournament, but now she no longer adds mushrooms to her penne with chicken, spinach, and Parmesan cheese.

"They make my stomach kind of hurt a little bit, but also I don't know if it's just in my head too sometimes," she said with a laugh. "I'm usually not superstitious — just with that."