Coco Gauff - Balancing brave tennis with fight for social justice
Coco Gauff wants, and aims for, greatness, certainly, but she draws a distinction between that goal and any sense of putting pressure on herself.
Published : Aug 30, 2020 11:41 IST
Listen to Coco Gauff speak about tennis, and she hardly sounds like a 16-year-old. She sounds like a veteran of the sport. Listen to Gauff speak about the issues of the day, and she doesn't sound like an uninformed kid. She sounds like an adult, filled with knowledge and insight. Listen to her speak about not being able to practice driving because she misplaced her learner's permit - and, finally, Gauff sounds her age. "I still need to work on my parking," Gauff acknowledges. "It's so bad."
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A year ago, using a terrific first serve and ability to go from defense to offense, Gauff beat Venus Williams along the way to the fourth round at Wimbledon as the youngest qualifier in tournament history. Then she made it to the third round at Flushing Meadows before losing to 2018 champion Naomi Osaka in a match that ended in tears for the teen and a hug from the winner.READ:
That sort of perspective comes through when she discusses racial injustice and police brutality, including during an impromptu speech at a Black Lives Matter rally in Florida in June, when she implored the audience: "We must first love each other. ... Second, we must take action. ... It's in your hands to vote for my future, for my brothers' future and for your future." Gauff said she found out about two minutes beforehand that she would be addressing the crowd - and her nervousness was compounded because she stepped to the microphone after her grandmother, who is "really good at those type of things." "It was just definitely from the heart, and I think when you speak from the heart, you get the message that you want," Gauff said. "The world was just finally waking up. ... We need people to speak out."