Coco Gauff has always stood out. Not just for her tennis, but for her powerful voice and deep ties to her heritage and now the 21-year-old is using her platform to reflect on her upbringing and speak out on the challenges still faced by the black community.
From her breakout moment defeating Venus Williams at just 15 years old to her current world No. 2 ranking, the youngster is continuing to light up the tennis courts around the world.
But she also values politics close to her heart, particularly the matters that mean most to her, such as her background and the barriers she had to overcome to make sure she made it to the professional game.
In a recent appearance on the Game Changer documentary series, Gauff opened up about her family’s legacy in Delray Beach, Florida, and how it shaped her both as an athlete and as a person.
“Growing up, it was never a thought for me to be a professional tennis player,” Gauff said to Rolex. “Especially in the black community, even now, tennis is still so uncommon.”
She spoke about the impact of her grandparents, Yvonne Lee and Eddie “Red” Odom, who broke barriers in their local community long before she picked up a tennis racquet and serve as inspirations to her.
Yvonne became the first black student to attend Delray Beach’s Seacrest High School in 1961, defying segregation-era restrictions and enduring discriminatory treatment to pave the way for future generations.
Whilst her grandfather Eddie, a lifelong baseball coach, created one of Florida’s first African American Little Leagues in 1970 to provide black youth with opportunities they were often denied.
Their stories remain central to Gauff‘s worldview and her early role models shaped not only her character but also her sense of responsibility, passed down to her through her own parents.
“[Coco] has a responsibility,” Her mother, Candi Gauff, told Teen Vogue. “You come from a lineage who has done great things.”
Gauff donates back to black community
This heritage continues to influence Gauff’s off-court efforts. During Black History Month, she donated $100,000 to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), citing her “deep-rooted history with HBCUs.”
She then followed this up by announcing the Coco Gauff Scholarship Program will support aspiring tennis students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and begins in May 2025.
She continues carrying forwards the torch passed to her by her grandparents, but they are not standing still either and in December 2024, were honored with the Community Lifetime Achievement Award.
“My grandparents played their role so that I can live my life,” Gauff said at the time. “I feel like I have to play my role, so somebody else can live a better life.”
Gauff will bid for her next tennis Grand Slam at the French Open as she bids to shrug off her defeat to Jasmine Paolini in the final of the Italian Open on May 17.
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