The popularity of tennis in America has been the talk of the town for quite some time now. A few months ago, American tennis star, Tommy Paul revealed that tennis is probably the 20th most popular sport in the US and perhaps no one cares about it. Now, Coco Gauff comes up with her take on the popularity of the sport in the US. 

Gauff revealed that she had very limited resources during the initial phases of her career. She stated that the black community didn’t have much access to the sport until the rise of the Williams sisters.

‘But the basketball courts would be full’- Coco Gauff talks about the lack of popularity in tennis in the past

Coco Gauff moved to Delray Beach when she was only 8 years old. Who would know this girl would later on become the youngest American to win the US Open title in women’s singles since Serena Williams‘ historic feat almost 25 years ago? She has now become an inspiration for millions of young Americans who aspire to become a professional tennis player. Recently, Gauff unveiled a renovated tennis court in Delray Beach, as a part of the USTA’s $3 M US Open Legacy initiative.

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Aligning with that, during the Miami Open pre-tournament press conference, she was asked to reflect a bit on her struggles with public courts during the early stages of her career. She was also asked whether she had to play random strangers on the public courts in Florida. Gauff replied, “Um, no, not really. I’ll be honest like at the time I was at Pomey Park, you know weren’t that many people playing tennis.”

She explained that tennis was quite an expensive sport for those underprivileged kids over there. Gauff added, “But the basketball courts would be full and the baseball courts would be full. So with the black community honestly tennis is now becoming more popular because of the Williams sisters.“

‘I Saw Myself in Serena and Venus’ – Coco Gauff Confesses to Being a Product of Williams Sister’ Trailblazing Impact

So, Gauff said that she didn’t really have that many random people to play with in those days. But talking about inspiration, her speech after winning the 2023 US Open portrayed her admiration for Serena and Venus Williams. She said, “It’s crazy (to see my name on the trophy with theirs). I mean, they’re the reason why I have this trophy today, to be honest. They have allowed me to believe in this dream, you know, growing up.“

Coco Gauff further added, “You know, there wasn’t too many just Black tennis players dominating the sport. It was literally, at that time when I was younger, it was just them that I can remember.” Now, it’s time for Gauff to give back to the community that gave her what she needed to reach where she is today. 

Gauff aims to help other kids to ‘spark’ the ‘huge dream’ that she had in her childhood days

The USTA’s mission is fully dedicated to the refurbishment of tennis courts across the country. However, Coco Gauff’s hometown courts in Pompey Park in Delray Beach, Florida were among the first to be unveiled. Gauff thanked the USTA, saying that she strongly believes that tennis can continue to become a more accessible sport and heaped praise on the USTA’s commitment towards it.

She added, “Investing in public parks and our youth is very important. I had a huge dream and this city, my family, my community supported that. And now I’m in the position to help maybe spark that dream in another kid.“

Gauff doesn’t want a lack of resources to diminish someone’s dream so she feels public courts are very important towards this mission in the growth of the sport across all spheres of society. 

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