CoCo anxious to keep it all in the family
NEW YORK — When CoCo Vandeweghe says she’s trying to become the best athlete in her family as well as a US Open champion, it’s more impressive company than one might imagine.
There’s her Olympic swimmer mother Tauna, the NBA trio of her uncle Kiki, grandpa Ernie and great-uncle Mel, plus ex-beach volleyball pro uncle Bruk and aunt Heather, captain of the US polo team.
“My grandfather always said he was the best athlete in the family, so we’re all trying to live up to him,” Vandeweghe said on Monday.
The 25-year-old American has served notice she might outshine all of them by reaching her first US Open quarterfinal by defeating 37th-ranked Czech Lucie Safarova 6-4, 7-6 (2).
Vandeweghe, an Australian Open semifinalist in January, will face Czech world No 1 Karoline Pliskova on Wednesday for a berth in the semifinals.
And it might just be some advice and discipline instilled in CoCo by her grandfather that helps her upset the topranked star to match her best Slam run.
He was a fan of the “Pyramid of Success” philosophy of John Wooden, legendary UCLA basketball coach just before uncle Kiki began a fouryear star run there.
“You have to build from the bottom up,” CoCo recalled. “I’ve had it on a wall since I can remember, so I’m very familiar with it. I spent a lot of time under that kind of protocol of where you start.
“A great example of that is my grandfather was always very particular using that ‘Pyramid of Success’ to start from just putting your socks on correctly without any bumps, because that gives you blisters.
“As a kid you don’t care. You just want to go and play and get started. Even though your friends are already out there shooting or kicking the soccer ball or whatever, it was more about getting the little things right.”
CoCo was excited that uncle Kiki, who played 14 NBA seasons and is now a league executive, came to watch her.
“Maybe the NBA offices can let him off for a few days,” she said. “I need all the encouragement I can get in trying to catch up to my grandfather to be the best athlete in the family.”
CoCo has already helped the US land three women in the last eight for the first time since 2004, along with ninth seed Venus Williams and Sloane Stephens.
Being a Grand Slam title winner would impress in a family where standing out is tough.
Vandeweghe, playing in her hometown, is the daughter of 1976 US Olympic semifinal backstroker Tauna Vandeweghe.
Her mother’s parents were 1952 Miss America beauty pageant queen Colleen Kay Hutchins and former New York Knicks basketball player Ernie Vandeweghe.
Ernie, who died in 2014 at age 86, was a swingman for the NBA New York Knicks from 1949-56, helping them reach three NBA Finals.
Kiki was a forward from 1980-93 for Denver, Portland, the Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers becoming a coach and general manager.
CoCo’s grandmother’s brother, Mel Hutchins, now 88, played power forward from 1951-58 for the Knicks, Milwaukee Hawks and Fort Wayne Pistons.
Four-time NBA All-Star Hutchins helped power the Pistons to the 1955 and 1956 NBA Finals.