After becoming the youngest Grand Slam finalist in 18 years at the French Open, Coco Gauff decided to use the historic moment to spread an important message.
The 18-year-old had just defeated Martina Trevisan 6-3, 6-1 in their semi-final clash when she decided to turned to the cameras and did something pretty special.
We're used to seeing tennis stars scribble their signatures on camera lenses after a victory, but Gauff wrote “peace, end gun violence” instead.
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Her powerful message, which would have undoubtedly been seen by millions of viewers watching from home, came just a few hours after a gunman killed at least four people in Oklahoma.
It's also almost a week to the day since a different gunman entered a school in Texas and shot dead 19 children as well as their teachers.
These horrific incident are just the latest in a string of mass shootings that have taken place in the United States across the last few decades.
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As a result of these tragic incidents, the heated debate surrounding gun violence in the U.S. continues on.
“Yeah it’s a Grand Slam final but there are so many things going on in the world, especially in the U.S. — I think it’s not important to stress over a tennis match,” Gauff said in her post-match interview.
“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.”
She added: “It just felt right in that moment and to write that. I woke up this morning and I saw there was another shooting, and I think it’s just crazy.”
Even at 18 years of age, Gauff is showing an impressive amount of maturity as she continued to prove that she has a voice that goes far beyond the tennis court.
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“Since I was younger, my dad told me I could change the world with my racquet. He didn’t mean that by like just playing tennis. He meant speaking out on issues like this.”
Featured Image Credit: Twitter/Roland Garros
