Coco Gauff sent out a poignant message after her dominant semi-final victory at the French Open. The American dispatched Martina Trevisan 6-3, 6-1 to advance to the first grand slam final of her burgeoning career.
After a topsy-turvy first set, Gauff was utterly dominant in the second and, three years after bursting on the scene at Wimbledon at the tender age of 15, she will compete for the biggest title of her career so far. Following the straight-sets win, the teenager took the time to send out a defiant statement in reference to the gun violence in her native United States.
Gauff followed the custom of the winner signing the camera lens, and she opted to write: “Peace. End gun violence,” along with a love heart. In her post-match press conference, the 18th seed explained her thought process behind her impactful message. “I think for me it was just especially important just being in Europe and being where I know people globally around the world are for sure watching,” she said.
“I think that this is a problem in other parts of the world, but especially in America it’s a problem that’s, frankly, been happening over some years but obviously now it’s getting more attention. But for me it’s been an issue for years.” America has been rocked yet again by gun violence massacres, as 19 students and two teachers were murdered by a teenage gunman at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas late last month.
Two weeks prior, ten elderly black people were killed at a Tops Friendly Markets store in Buffalo, New York. Gauff has been vocal about societal issues, including climate change and speaking out a Black Lives Matter march in 2020. In reference to the recent gun massacres, Gauff added: “For me, it’s kind of close to home. I had some friends that were a part of the Parkland shooting.
“I remember watching that whole experience pretty much firsthand, seeing and having friends go through that whole experience. Luckily they were able to make it out of it. I just think it’s crazy, I think I was maybe 14 or 13 when that happened, and still nothing has changed. I think now especially being 18, I’ve really been trying to educate myself around certain situations, because now I have the right to vote and I want to use that wisely.”
Gauff has grown up with a strong family unit and her mother beamed with pride while she spoke during her on-court interview. She has always been encouraged to express herself on the court as well as speak out on topics that she is passionate about. “If anything, my team and my parents encourage me to write that,” she said.
“Since I was younger – I know I said this before – that my dad told me I could change the world with my racket. He didn’t mean that by just playing tennis. He meant speaking out on issues like this. The first thing my dad said to me after I got off court: ‘I’m proud of you and I love what you wrote on the camera.’”
Gauff will arguably face the toughest test of her career so far as she will take on rampaging world number one Iga Swiatek in Saturday's final, who tied Serena Williams' streak of 34 consecutive matches.
