Coco Gauff is one of the most charismatic players on the WTA Tour and wants to use her platform as a tool for instilling change and standing up for her peers.
At only 19, Gauff is already part of the WTA's Top 10 and has been one of the most consistent players at tour level. Her maturity belies her years, and in 2023, she became the youngest teenager to win the US Open since Serena Williams.
Although Gauff has brought with her a growing number of fans because of her extraordinary tennis skills, the young American's eloquence and mastery of words have helped retain them. It is for this reason that Gauff made a striking claim on the eve of the Qatar Open.
The World No. 3 told reporters that tennis is secondary to her in terms of importance when compared to who she was as a person. Gauff believes there are more deserving priorities in life that are levels above tennis and also commented on her unbridled support to help those not in privileged positions.
"I think for me it's always important to speak up if there is issues that I care about. For me, being a tennis player, it's second, third, fourth, fifth to who I am as a person."
"I always try to keep, you know, God first, family and friends, tennis, and community -- you know, friends, family, and community before tennis. So, yeah, I think it's important that I continue to just speak up and be a voice for the voiceless."
Gauff is returning to the Middle East for the fourth straight year. She is among the favorites competing at the two WTA 1000 tournaments in Doha and Dubai as she seeks to build momentum and potentially take over as the WTA World No. 1 in the coming months.
She is a two-time quarterfinal finalist of the Qatar Open and will play her first match since the Australian Open on Tuesday when she takes on Katerina Siniakova.
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