Coco Gauff Hopes to ‘Uplift’ Black Community Through Her Tennis Career: “I Feel Like It’s My Purpose”

World No.3 Coco Gauff is chasing her career's third Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open.

Coco Gauff Hopes to ‘Uplift’ Black Community Through Her Tennis Career: “I Feel Like It’s My Purpose”

Coco Gauff (Image via X/Quindici Zero)

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Coco Gauff is through to the third round of the Australian Open. On Wednesday (January 21), she knocked out Serbia’s Olga Danilovic to schedule a third-round clash with Hailey Baptiste.

At the press conference later, Gauff was asked questions about the state of US politics. The 21-year-old said she felt a “bit fatigued talking about it” because it’s “hard being a Black woman in this country“. She feels all she can do is talk and donate and expressed her hope to see positive changes in her country as time progresses. Gauff was also asked whether she thinks being a Black woman brings pressure and expectations.

I don’t think it was an expectation. I feel like low key I felt like born…the way I grew up…my grandmother first integrated, first black woman to attend a high school in Florida, who integrated that school and was very active in the community in Delray, where I live. Actually, I have people on both sides that integrated schools. I feel like low-key that’s just in me. Ever since I was younger, I feel like my purpose in the world is to uplift the people around me, those who maybe don’t have a voice. I think that’s why I do that. It doesn’t feel like an expectation or pressure. It just feels like that’s what I gotta do.

Coco Gauff said

The two-time Grand Slam singles champion has donated $150,000 to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to help Black students and athletes who attend the historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), funding the Coco Gauff Scholarship Program. It was her second donation to the organization, as last year, she gifted $100,000.

John McEnroe lauds Coco Gauff’s performance against Olga Danilovic

Coco Gauff has reached the Australian Open third round for the fourth consecutive time. Inside Margaret Court Arena, she needed just an hour and 17 minutes to eliminate Olga Danilovic. Later during the on-court interview, Gauff admitted she wanted to incorporate drop shots like men’s World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz.

Coco Gauff (via X/Jose Morgado)
Coco Gauff (via X/Jose Morgado)

Compatriot and tennis great John McEnroe couldn’t help praising the third seed and said Danilovic needed to bring more to the game than she did during her first-round win over seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams.

She is one of the great competitors, so you know going in that she is going to do that at the very least, but she looked pretty good. It wasn’t too much of a test, though. Danilovic beat Venus, but doesn’t look to have a Plan B…that’s a nice second-round match for Gauff. She is one of the most athletic people you see on a tennis court, so you probably go for more than you should against her.

John McEnroe told TNT Sports

Gauff will be locking horns with Hailey Baptiste for the second time. The former won their previous match in the second round of the 2023 Citi Open.

Gauff is a one-time semifinalist at Melbourne Park, reaching the stage in 2024, losing that match to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka. Last year, her campaign ended with a straight-set defeat to Spain’s Paula Badosa. But at the French Open last year, she was successful in defeating Sabalenka in the final.

Gauff lifted the French Open and the Wuhan Open last year, reaching two more finals, at the Madrid Open and the Italian Open, losing them to Sabelanka and home favorite Jasmine Paolini. Before arriving in Melbourne, Gauff played the United Cup, but Team USA couldn’t defend their title, losing to eventual champions Poland in the semifinals.

Also read: (Video) Coco Gauff and Chris Eubanks Share Hilarious Off-Court Moment at the Australian Open