DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — DELRAY BEACH, FL -- Delray Beach tennis phenom Coco Gauff’s Wimbledon win against her idol and tennis great Venus Williams is inspiring the next generation of players.
“It was amazing. It just helps me think that you can come from anywhere and play against anybody and still have the power to win,” Mykyaia Bryd said.
Byrd is a first-time player from Boynton Beach and one of about a dozen youth, ages 12 to 18, who played tennis at Delray Beach Tennis Center on Tuesday, just about 24 hours after Gauff’s historic win.
“I think it just shows you through hard work and determination that anything is possible,” explained Christoph Teves with the Delray Beach Youth Tennis Foundation.
The Delray Beach Youth Tennis Foundation is an outreach program designed to get at-risk youth in the community involved in tennis.
“We’re here to enhance the lives of at-risk youth through tennis, academic support and life skills,” Teves said.
The program teaches more than 100 children as young as 8 years old tennis skills each year. Some of the girls had never played the game before picking up a racket on Tuesday.
Gauff, who lives in Delray Beach and whose family has deep roots in the area, is their new inspiration.
“I think that’s pretty amazing like to hear something like that because it means I could do something like that,” new player Andrea Kelly from Boynton Beach explained.
Gauff’s next game at Wimbledon is on Wednesday against Slovakian player, Magdaléna Rybáriková.
For more information on the Delray Beach Tennis Foundation, click here.