American tennis player Coco Gauff said she finally found the right words to speak out against social and racial injustice after appearing at a Black Lives Matter protest rally.
Bluntly on social media, Gauff posted videos protesting the killings of black people in the United States amid widespread outrage following the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis in May.
But the 16-year-old’s most notable contribution came through a speech during a peaceful protest in her hometown of Delray Beach, Florida in June.
“I was talking off the cuff and I was really nervous,” Gauff said at a press conference on Sunday. “But the message comes when you speak from your heart.
“I definitely think George Floyd has opened the eyes of many people, but I feel that this subject has been close to me since I was a child.
“I finally managed to put it into words because to talk about this subject you need to be educated on the subject.”
Gauff spoke at the rally after his grandmother Yvonne Odom, who was her high school’s first black student in 1961, addressed the crowd.
“I would say that I felt calm because of my grandmother. She has taught me a lot in the last few years,” said Gauff.
“My grandmother was the first to complete high school in Seacrest, Florida, so I learned from her stories.”
Gauff, who rose to fame by beating her idol Venus Williams at last year’s Wimbledon, is back in action for the first time since closing the coronavirus at the Top Seed Open, which begins in Lexington, Kentucky on Monday.
She will be joined by Venus, Serena Williams, Sloane Stephens and Victoria Azarenka in a strong field.
“Obviously, I lost the races, but I think it was a good little break for me as I consider myself still in a development phase,” said Gauff.
“I got to work on some things and now I’m really excited to be back on the pitch.”
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