Coco Gauff's grandmother Yvonne Lee Odom in Champions of Equity luncheon panel at Billie Jean King Cup
American tennis player Coco Gauff's grandmother Yvonne Lee Odom has been selected for the Champions of Equity luncheon panel in Florida.
The event will take place during the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers match between the United States and Austria.
Yvonne Lee Odom is one of the most influential educational leaders in Palm Beach and has been a source of inspiration for many, including Gauff.
Odom served for more than four-and-a-half decades at the Palm Beach County school and retired as a classroom teacher. She has been a pillar of excellence and has fought for what is right, even when it wasn't popular.
World No. 3 Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff, ranked sixth, will lead the American squad along with Danielle Collins, Caty McNally, and 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.
Two matches are set to be played on the evening of April 14, with up to three on April 15 in the best-of-five format.
The United States have won the Billie Jean King Cup Finals a record 18 times. The US is led by top-10 players Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff and will target one of the nine qualifying spots for the Finals.
The USA will be up against Austria in Delray Beach, Gauff's Florida hometown, where she trains.
Coco Gauff optimistic about clay season
Coco Gauff hopes to have a good clay court campaign after an underwhelming start to the 2023 season.
The American spoke about making the transition from playing on hard courts to clay courts in a recent press conference after her Miami Open exit last month.
"I definitely think the game does simplify a little bit. I have a clearer picture of how I want to play on that surface," Gauff said. "I definitely think physically, usually, those are the players that are doing well on clay, so I think that's why it suits me a lot."
The World No. 6 reached the third round at last year's Madrid Open as well as the Italian Open before reaching her maiden Grand Slam final at the French Open. There, she lost to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in straight sets. Gauff hopes to do better on clay this year.
"Taking in what I've done on the hard court season, I think, will help me into the clay season because last year, I didn't have a great start, and that clay season turned it around," she said. "Even though this tournament didn't go how I wanted, I would say I had a decent start to the year. I'm hoping I can have an even better clay season than last year."
Coco Gauff reached the fourth round at the Australian Open, the semifinals at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships, and the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Although she lost in the third round at the ongoing Miami Open, the American opined that the beginning of her 2023 season was better than last year.