Coco Gauff calls Venus and Serena Williams her 'greatest inspirations', reveals LeBron James' influence in her Cincinnati win against Iga Swaitek

Coco Gauff has called Venus Williams and Serena Williams her "greatest inspirations" and credited them for her becoming a tennis professional. She also disclosed how NBA star LeBron James influenced her win against Iga Swiatek in Cincinnati.

Gauff has been on a good run in recent weeks. After making a Round of 16 exit at the Wimbledon Championships, she bounced back to win the Citi Open in Washington without dropping a set.

The American then reached the quarterfinals at the Canadian Open, where compatriot Jessica Pegula beat her. Now, at the Cincinnati Open, Gauff has advanced to her maiden WTA 1000 final with a semifinal win against Iga Swiatek.

In an interview after the match, Gauff disclosed that the Williams sisters were the reason she took to tennis as a professional and explained how they influenced her as a kid.

“[My greatest inspirations were] definitely the Williams sisters. They're the reasons why I started playing tennis. And honestly, that fight, watching them fight day in and day out, even Venus starting down 5-1 in the earlier rounds and coming back, just their fight. I mean, who they are on and off the court,” she told Tennis Channel.

Gauff's win against Swiatek in the semifinals in Cincinnati was a monumental one for her on a personal note as well, as it was her first win against the World No. 1 in her eighth attempt.

The 19-year-old revealed how she took inspiration from an unlikely source — NBA legend LeBron James.

“And also LeBron James. And you know, when people define him saying he's old and he can't come back, I was really thinking about when he was down three one and came back. I was like if ‘him and his team can do it and then I can do it down one point and not two whole games’.”

James helped the Cleveland Cavaliers upset the Golden State Warriors in 2016 to win his third championship.

The win made the Cavaliers the first team to overcome a 3-1 series deficit in the NBA Finals and just the fourth team (after Miami Heat, Portland Trail Blazers, and Boston Celtics) to come back from a 2-0 deficit.

Incidentally, it was also the City of Cleveland's first win since the Cleveland Browns won the National Football League in 1964.

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“Playing her, you have to give it your all” - Coco Gauff on her Cincinnati win against Iga Swaitek

Coco Gauff at the 2023 Cincinnati Open.

Before their clash in the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open on Saturday, Iga Swiatek held a 7-0 head-to-head record against the American. She won 14 sets against the youngster, dropping none.

Despite Swiatek having an upper hand on her, Gauff revealed that she went into their contest at the Western & Southern Open on a confident note.

After giving the World No. 1 a chance to make a comeback by conceding the second set, Gauff disclosed that she motivated herself mid-match by calling herself a warrior and backing her to come through the contest unscathed.

“I knew playing her was going to be tough, nothing was gonna be given to me today. I really took my opportunities when I got them and I really just fought and every point. I was a little bit negative in the second [set] but I got it back and I was telling myself you're a warrior and you can do this,” she said.

“[I was telling myself in the third set that I’m] a warrior, really. To be honest, I was just saying ‘I'm Coco golf and I can do it’ and that's what I was going into the match. Playing her, you have to give it your all and I felt it from the moment I stepped on the court that I wasn't gonna lose his matchtoday, even when the moments got tough. And yeah, I was right I guess,” she added.

Gauff is set to take on French Open finalist Karolina Muchova in the Cincinnati final on Sunday.