Much is made of Coco Gauff’s athleticism. But her attitude and her aptitude are what’s being overlooked — or ignored.

And the people closest to Gauff say it’s what’s in her heart and between her ears that will let the 15-year-old American make the climb from phenom to champion, that will get her to where Saturday night’s opponent Naomi Osaka, who knocked Gauff out of the tournament with a 6-3, 6-0 win, already is.

“It’s just character, being smart,” Gauff’s father Corey told The Post. “[You hear] ‘Oh, well, she’s athletic, great genes.’ Well, you don’t say that about the other girls. Hey, she’s smart too. Her IQ is high; she understands tennis, she knows what she’s doing out there. It’s not just running down balls. She’s troubleshooting, trying to figure out what’s the best geometry for this girl, what’s the best shot for this girl?

“Athleticism helps, but to be a good tennis player they’ve got to be smart. They’ve got to figure stuff out on their own. There’s no coach barking at them. Nobody’s drawing the play up. They’ve got to figure it out on their own how to do it. That’s what I’m proud about. She hasn’t played well in two matches, but she’s shouldering her way through and figured it out.”

It’s a trope oft-repeated about black athletes, painted purely as athletic. And though many onlookers have marveled over Gauff’s gifts — which are surely impressive — both her mother and Gauff’s doubles partner point to her mentality and competitiveness as secrets to her success.

“That’s the key: You’ve got to compete,” Gauff’s mother Candi told The Post. “As long as you compete, you have control over yourself, and not the other person. Be your best self.”

Gauff’s ability to do just that — to maximize every drop of that talent with a competitive steel that belies her tender age — has made an impression on doubles partner Caty McNally.

“I think Coco’s doing an amazing job. I’m just really impressed with how she carries herself on the big stage,” McNally said.

“Like [Thursday] night, for example, when it got close you could really tell that Coco just digs in deep. It’s unbelievable. She dives for the balls on the court, she leaves everything out there. That’s super impressive. She gets very into it. I respect that a lot from her.”

In both her first-round comeback against Anastasia Potapova and her second-round rally vs. Timea Babos, Gauff had to make adjustments on the fly, mentally recalibrate and think her way to victory.

“She has an idea what she’s doing,” said Osaka, the No. 1 player in the world at just 21. John McEnroe proclaimed Gauff can get to that lofty level within five years.

Granted, the athletic graveyard is filled with ballyhooed young talents — Johnny Manziel, Todd Van Poppel and Freddy Adu — who fell victim to their own hype. But those close to Gauff say she will avoid that by staying grounded.

“She’s knows her mom doesn’t play that,” Corey said with a laugh. “She’s got a pretty solid home life, she’s got a good faith, goes to church; so I think all those little things play a part in it.”

Her maturity hasn’t been lost on others who have walked the phenom path before her. Serena Williams said she planned to watch Saturday’s match like “a fangirl,” while Kobe Bryant gushed over Gauff.

“It’s amazing at that age to have not just the skill she possesses, but the poise,” Bryant said. “It’s very, very rare to find an athlete at that age to be so trusting of her skill, to be patient with it. She’s phenomenal.”