U.S. Open winner Coco Gauff showed just two weeks ago that her skill, will and faith can lead to greatness.
Gauff defeated now-World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in three thrilling sets after dropping the opener, en route to her maiden Grand Slam title at the tender age of 19.
Though, by the looks of it her genius seemed to have stayed on the hardcourt of Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Gauff recently shared a video to social media of her and friends playing around on a driving range last week, only for her game to resemble that of a beginner.
Though, there have been plenty of success stories when athletes change from one sport to another. Here Mail Sport, looks at star athletes who have left their greatest passion for another.
Coco Gauff’s talents are undeniable but it seems they do not extend to the driving range
Michael Jordan
His Airness famously retired from the NBA, for the first time, and signed a Minor League contract with the Chicago White Sox in 1994.
Jordan was a three-time NBA champion at the time and had retired following the murder of his father, James Jordan Sr.
He played for Double-A affiliate Birmingham Barons before appearing in the Arizona Fall League for the Scottsdale Scorpions.
Though, midway through the 1994-95 NBA season Jordan returned to the Bulls with his legendary ‘I’m back’ fax, ending an 18-month sabbatical.
Jordan went on to win three more championships with Chicago between 1996-98.
Michael Jordan famously retired after winning three NBA titles and took up baseball in 1994
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson
Before becoming a Hollywood superstar and a pro wrestling icon, Johnson was dreaming of an NFL career.
The 51-year-old played college football on scholarship at the University of Miami and won a national title in 1991.
The Rock went undrafted in the 1995 Draft and had a brief stint in the CFL. It led to signing with WWF in 1996.
Now, 27 years later he returned to Smackdown last Friday and has teased a WrestleMania 40 match against real-life cousin Roman Reigns.
Dwayne Johnson’s first dream was to be an NFL player and played for the U between 1990-94
The Rock went on to become a Hollywood actor & WWE icon, returning to Smackdown Friday
Tim Tebow
The All-American superstar balled out at Florida, winning two national championships for the Gators as their star quarterback.
Tebow was drafted by the Denver Broncos with the 25th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He spent two seasons with the Broncos before being traded to the Jets after Peyton Manning was acquired in 2012.
The devout Christian bounced around the NFL with the Jets, Patriots, Eagles and Jaguars before switching to baseball in 2016.
Tebow signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets. After two seasons, he spent time at major league camp for the two successive years between 2019-20.
He even hit a homer during major league spring training vs. Detroit in 2020 before retiring the following year.
Brought to Florida by Urban Meyer (R), Tim Tebow helped deliver two national titles to UF
Following his successful college career, Tebow played in the NFL before signing with the NYM
J.J. Watt
After pro football, Watt has already found another sport to invest his equity and time into.
The Burnley Football Club part-owner’s first love wasn’t the gridiron but rather the ice.
Watt was enamored with hockey and played between the age of three and 13. He did enjoy football too, but decided to pursue football when hockey became too great a financial burden.
‘Hockey, honestly, was my first love,’ Watt told Peter King, then of SI in 2013. ‘The excitement, the fast pace, the intensity of the game.
‘I still love it to this day. Really, I had to quit. It was financial. I have two younger brothers and we were all playing on a travel team, and it was extremely expensive.’
Watt is now a certain first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer with three NFL DPOY titles, seven All-Pro, and five Pro Bowl nods to his name.
J.J. Watt gave up hockey while a teenager to pursue football, which led to a Hall of Fame career
Kris Humphries
The former NBA player and one-time husband of Kim Kardashian was once a child prodigy in the pool.
Humphries beat Michael Phelps when he was 10 years old in the 200m individual medley and held a national record for the 50meter freestyle for boys under 10 for a period of time.
The Minnesota native did not play college football like his father, but at 12 decide to pursue basketball which resulted in a career at Minnesota before a 14-year stint in the NBA between 2004-2017.
‘I was so good at a young age that I got a little burnt out,’ Humphries told People in 2010.
‘I also grew up in the Michael Jordan era… for me, I watched [basketball] and saw it as a challenge.
‘It’s hard to stay focused on something when you have a ton of success at a young age, so I picked up basketball a little later and rolled with that.’
Kris Humphries was a childhood phenom in the pool, beating out all-timer Michael Phelps (R)
Antonio Gates
The San Diego Chargers legend did not play college football after then-Michigan State coach Nick Saban wanted him to exclusively play on his team.
A two-sport star, Gates decided to solely play basketball at Eastern Michigan, College of the Sequoias and later Kent State.
Gates was such a success during his time at the MAC school they retired his No. 44 jersey in 2010. After leaving school after his senior season, the Detroit native was told he didn’t have the size to fit in the NBA, so he worked out for NFL teams.
Ultimately, he signed with San Diego as an undrafted free agent ahead of the 2003 NFL season.
Gates went on to have a tremendous 16-year NFL career and is regarded as one of the greatest tight ends in pro football history.
He was a five-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler alongside making the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team.
Antonio Gates became one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history despite not playing CFB
Prior to playing pro football, Gates was a superstar at Kent State during the early 2000s
Jimmy Graham
The current New Orleans Saints tight end is one of the best at his position throughout the last two decades.
Like Gates, he played college basketball at the University of Miami. He was a basketball star in his native North Carolina, earning a scholarship to The U.
During his graduate year, Graham took up football and more specifically, the tight end position.
He only had 17 receptions for Miami, but it was enough for the New Orleans Saints to take him in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
Graham is seventh all-time for the most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season (1,310 in 2011).
He is also second all-time behind Rob Gronkowski for the most receiving TDs by a tight end in a season, with 16 back in 2013.
Jimmy Graham sensationally returned to New Orleans this year after not playing in 2022
The Saints legend played four seasons of college basketball at the University of Miami (FL.)