Coco Gauff breaks silence on Israel-Palestine conflict: "It's troubling to live the life I live, knowing so many kids & innocent people are dying"
Coco Gauff has spoken up on the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict that continues to take its toll on Gaza.
On 7 October 2023, Palestinian militants attacked Israel's southern region, prompting Israel to swiftly clear its territory and bombard areas around the Gaza Strip. As a result, the conflict has so far seen a significant loss of human life.
Ons Jabeur, the WTA World No. 5, was among the most prominent names from the sport of tennis to raise her voice against the conflict. However, Jabeur's stance, which was in favor of Palestinians, generated controversy, as she received backlash from the Israeli Tennis Association.
Ahead of kicking off her Dubai Tennis Championships campaign, Coco Gauff has had her say on the matter as well.
"I feel like it would be ignorant to say I'm not aware, I'm very aware of everything that's going on in Gaza," the World No. 3 said in an interview with The National.
The reigning US Open champion also said that she sometimes struggles to live her life the way she lives, considering the tragedy unfolding in Gaza.
"For me, I always say I pray for peace in the region. And I really don't like what's going on. For me, it's sometimes troubling to live the life I live, knowing that so many kids and innocent people are dying on both ends,"
Elisabetta Cocciaretto awaits Coco Gauff in her first match at the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships
Gauff is currently in Dubai, preparing for her opening match at the Dubai Tennis Championships. The 19-year-old received a first-round bye and will start her campaign against Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the Round of 32 of the WTA 1000 event. Cocciaretto played Elise Mertens in the Round of 64 and set up a clash against Gauff by defeating the Belgian 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(3).
The World No. 3 made a strong start to the 2024 season as she outfought Elina Svitolina to win the ASB Classic. She reached the semifinals of the Australian Open as well, where she fell to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka.
However, her next outing, at the Qatar Open, threw up one of the shocks of the season so far. Gauff lost her first match of the tournament to Katerina Siniakova 2-6, 4-6. The 19-year-old previously faced Cocciaretto in the Round of 32 at the 2022 Guadalajara Open and won 7-6(1), 6-3.