15-year-old Cori Gauff beat Venus Williams 6-4, 6-4 in the first round of Wimbledon

First came the tears and then came the gratitude, with Cori ‘Coco’ Gauff plucking up the courage at the net to thank Venus Williams for being an inspiration.

It had been a strange way of showing it, taking 79 minutes to overwhelm one of her role models, someone who showed her — and her parents — what could can be achieved in tennis.

This Williams 2.0 had always wanted to tell the original article what she meant to her.

‘In my science test I got a B and today I will give myself an A,’ she beamed later.

It had been a brilliant performance, trading shot for shot with her idol and showing the priceless ability to pull out big serves when needed, hitting 116mph at one point. Next up is 2017 semi-finalist Magdalena Rybarikova.

As for Williams, she can barely string two sentences together when interviewed.

Asked for a gauge of her opponent’s potential, she said: ‘I think the sky’s the limit, it really is.’ Asked what advice she might give, she added: ‘Just have fun. Enjoy life. That’s all you can do.’

After a while, that may prove easier said than done, but for now this felt like the first sweet flush of success.

It is littered with cautionary tales of those who showed extraordinary ability at a young age and subsequently found life difficult for all manner of reasons.

Jennifer Capriati is the most commonly cited example, but you do not have to go far to find others who faltered, albeit less dramatically. Donald Young, for example, was the youngest boy to make it to world junior No 1 and last week, ranked 197 and aged 29, he lost in Wimbledon qualifying.

Croatia’s Ana Konjuh, a phenomenon in her early teens and now 21, has had chronic elbow problems and is ranked 708. Britain’s Laura Robson, Wimbledon junior champion at 14, is behind the microphone and still suffering from what she calls a ‘granny hip’. Going back further, Andrea Jaeger, French Open finalist at 16, ended up becoming a nun.

The pitfalls are many, including the pressure to be the star in all sorts of ways. Gauff has already been signed up by Roger Federer’s management agency Team Eight, while among her camp followers in the stands was American musician and producer Redfoo.

There are reassuring indications she will not go the way of others caught up in the whirlwind. Doing a science exam during last week’s qualifying was a positive sign, as are the noises from her parents that they are mindful she can enjoy something akin to a normal adolescence.

The trajectory of Venus, who has not gone past the third round of a Grand Slam in nearly two years, is heading south. That of Gauff, who last week became the youngest player to make it through qualifying, is heading sharply in the opposite direction. ‘I was telling her thank you for everything she has done for the sport,’ said the articulate young American.

‘I am super shocked. I haven’t cried since Avengers: Endgame, when Iron Man died. I wasn’t surprised that I won, I was just overwhelmed.’

It is all there for a teenager who has barely played on grass, and she acknowledged parallels with Williams in her prime: ‘Our body shape is similar, both tall, and I play similar, but when I’m on the court I play just like me.’

Her natural balance and sure-footedness were particularly striking on the slick new surface, as was the potency of her serve and ability to adapt her groundstrokes. Twice at 5-4 she was asked to serve out the set and twice she responded, the first time with slightly more aplomb than the second.

Experience tells you to temper any euphoria about the emergence of a remarkable young talent with a sense of restraint, because the path Gauff has chosen is not a straightforward one.