Stephen A. Smith talks about the importance of ‘diversity’ in tennis following Ben Shelton and Coco Gauff’s heroics at US Open

Coco Gauff became the youngest American to make it to the US Open semis since Serena Williams in 2001.

Stephen A. Smith talks about the importance of ‘diversity’ in tennis following Ben Shelton and Coco Gauff’s heroics at US Open

Coco Gauff, Stephen A Smith, Ben Shelton (Images via US Open, Getty)

American TV personality Stephen A. Smith has claimed that Tennis does not have as much black representation as football, basketball, and baseball. Talking further, Smith talked about the importance of diversity in the sport. He then talked about how Coco Gauff‘s making it into the semifinals of the 2023 US Open caters to the needs of diversity in tennis.

Notably, Coco Gauff became the youngest American to reach the US Open semifinals since Serena Williams in 2001. The 19-year-old eased past Latvia tennis ace Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets (6-0, 6-2) in the quarterfinals to book herself a spot in the last four. Gauff will now take on Karolina Muchova in the semifinals. Meanwhile, Ben Shelton also became the youngest American to make it into the US Open semifinals in 30 years.

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Talking about Gauff’s performance at the Flushing Meadows, Smith highlighted how important this is for the growth of the support. Stephen A. Smith claimed that there had not been enough high-ranked black players in tennis. Smith also claimed that sports that receive scrutiny are predominantly filled with black athletes. Whereas tennis has not had that much black participation.

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“When you see somebody of African-American descent really producing in a sport where you don’t see that much participation, it basically sends the message that ‘you are invited, you are welcome! If you have what it takes, the door is open to you too’. I know that that’s something obviously has existed for decades. But it’s one thing for something to exist and it’s another thing for the realization to hit you. This [Coco Gauff’s advancement] will elevate people’s interest,” said Smith on ESPN’s First Take.

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Also Read: Carlos Alcaraz claims he is a ‘completely different player’ now than he was a year ago when he won his first US Open title

Coco Gauff stands a chance to make history

Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff (Image via WTA)

Having qualified for the semifinal at the 2023 US Open, 19-year-old Coco Gauff stands a chance to script history when she takes on Karolina Muchova on Thursday (7 September). The 19-year-old can become one of the youngest women to have won the US Open title.

The 19-year-old is proud of the historic feat she has achieved so far but does not want her name to be taken among the greats like Serena Williams. “She’s the greatest player of all time. I’m nothing close to that yet. I’m just really honored to be in the same sentence as her,” Gauff said after her win in the quarterfinals.

The American now will hope to outshine Muchova when they face each other on Thursday. Gauff has already defeated the Czech tennis ace (in the Cincinnati Masters final) and thus will have an edge. The two players have not faced each other more than once.

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