"Tennis is a predominantly white sport & I would say with predominantly white viewers; he was just very concerned about it" - Coco Gauff on her father's nervousness about her Black Lives Matter posts
World No. 11 Coco Gauff recently shed light on why her father felt nervous when the youngster decided to take a stand for 'Black Lives Matter'. The 18-year-old was one of the first tennis players who decided to speak about the movement on social media platforms.
According to Gauff, since tennis is a predominantly white-person sport with predominantly white viewers, her father Corey Gauff was a bit scared and concerned regarding the posts.
"I was one of the first tennis players to speak out about it on social media," Coco Gauff said in an interview with WTA Tennis. "And I remember having this conversation with my dad before I put out the post because he was very nervous for me to put anything out because, you know, tennis is a predominantly white sport and I would say with predominantly white viewers. So he was very just concerned about it."
The Black Lives Matter movement gained a lot of momentum in the US after George Floyd's murder in 2020. The movement highlighted the fight against racism, discrimination and inequality experienced by black people in the country.
#blacklivesmatter https://t.co/WEZEmtHH8k
Players like Sloane Stephens, Naomi Osaka and Frances Tiafoe also showed their support to the social movement while playing in the 2020 US Open.
Coco Gauff has been in sublime form lately
Coco Gauff is not only hogging the limelight for her off-the-field work, but is also making headlines with her superb form. The 18-year-old will face Naomi Osaka in the round-of-16 at the Silicon Valley Classic on Thursday.
Gauff bested Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina in straight sets in the opening round. The youngster, who hails from Atlanta, earlier made it to the third round of Wimbledon, where she lost to compatriot Amanda Anisimova.
ATL NIGHT 1❤️🔥 https://t.co/WafFYUlpL9
Coco Gauff also had an amazing run at the 2022 French Open, reaching the finals of both the singles and doubles events. Unfortunately for her though, she could not get over the line in either one of them.
Gauff lost to Iga Swiatek in the singles final at Roland Garros, while she and her partner Jessica Pegula lost to the French pair of Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia in the final of the doubles event.
The French Open finalist also made it to the semifinals of the grasscourt tournament in Berlin but lost to Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur.