When Coco Gauff reached her first Grand Slam final at the French Open, defeating Martina Trevisan 6-3, 6-1 and becoming the youngest Grand Slam finalist since Maria Sharapova in 2004, she left Court Philippe Chateauret with a message.
Regarding the recent mass shooting at a school in Uwalde, Texas and many others, Gauff wrote: “Peace. An end to gun violence, ”on camera as she left court.
In a press conference later, Gauff said she only thought about writing to the camera as she walked toward her, and that this was prompted by waking up to another shooting, this time in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Wednesday. Gun violence is particularly close to home after friends were caught shooting at a 2018 school in Parkland, Florida.
“I think it was especially important for me to just be in Europe and be where I know people around the world are watching,” she said. “I think it’s a problem in other parts of the world, but especially in America, it’s a problem that, frankly, has been going on for a few years, but it’s obviously getting more attention now. But it’s been a problem for me for years. “
She continued: “For me, it’s kind of close to home. I had friends who were involved in the Parkland shoot. I remember watching this whole experience almost first hand, seeing and having friends go through this whole experience. Fortunately, they managed to do it. I just think it’s crazy, I think I was maybe 14 or 13 when it happened, and still nothing has changed. “
Gauf, who turned 18 in March, has spoken out on various issues since arriving on the 15th tour in 2019, including the climate emergency and even delivered a speech during the Black Lives Matter march in 2020: “I think that now especially Since I’m 18, I’ve really tried to educate myself in certain situations, because now I have the right to vote and I want to use it wisely. “
Asked if she had ever been pressured not to talk about issues other than tennis, Gauff said the opposite, as people around her often encouraged her to think off the court.
“If nothing else, my team and my parents encourage me to write this,” she said. “Ever since I was younger – I know I’ve said that before – my father told me I could change the world with my rocket. He didn’t mean that, he was just playing tennis. He meant to talk about issues like this. The first thing my father said to me after I got off the court was, “I’m proud of you and I love what you wrote on camera.”
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