Cori "Coco" Gauff, a 15-year-old Florida native, is the youngest player to qualify for Wimbledon

The Delray, Florida native, who's been touted as the next Serena Williams, told an interviewer for Wimbledon, "I'm still in shock," adding, "Playing against the top players in the field is going to be a different feel."

Gauff, whose age is 15 years and 22 days, secured her spot at the fabled tennis championships with a win in the final qualifying round at Roehampton on Thursday.

Gauff will be the 12th youngest overall to play at the Wimbledon main draw, but the 11 others didn't make it through qualifying.

Wimbledon says it also doles out wild card slots to players whose world ranking isn't high enough to automatically qualify for the tournament, but who are noteworthy based on previous performances or their ability to "increase British interest."

The last 15-year-old to compete through a wild card slot at Wimbledon was Laura Robson in 2009, a British player who'd won Junior Wimbledon the year before.

Gauff returns a shot to Daria Kasatkina of Russia during the Miami Open In March 2019

The biggest tennis star of her generation

Gauff appeared on Wimbledon's grass courts in the junior tournament last year, making it to the quarterfinals. "I'm a little bit familiar with the grounds," she said. Gauff will learn the name of her first-round opponent Friday when the main draw is revealed.

Last year Gauff raised her profile by winning the French Open girl's championship. This year, she became the youngest woman to win a Grand Slam qualifying match in the French Open.

In 2017, a then-13-year-old Gauff told CNN, "Overall, I want to be the best I can be and be the greatest," after becoming the youngest player to appear in a US Open junior final. Her current 301st WTA singles ranking has climbed sharply from 874 eight months ago.

If Gauff were to win Wimbledon this year, she'd be the youngest ever. But another 15-year-old woman also won the championship more than a century ago.

Back in 1887, Charlotte "Lottie" Dod, at 15 years and 285 days old, set the record for the youngest woman to ever win a singles title at Wimbledon. But she only had to survive two rounds and four other women who entered the tournament that year.

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