Coco Gauff's Writes Powerful Gun Control Message On The Camera Lens At French Open
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.
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.
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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.
She's got your back, @MiamiHEAT 🔥🏀#RolandGarros | @CocoGauff pic.twitter.com/crQemzDlk2
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 29, 2022
After advancing to the biggest match of her career, Coco Gauff wrote “End gun violence” on the camera 🙌 pic.twitter.com/7O0avmtq1C
— D'Arcy Maine (@darcymaine_espn) June 2, 2022
"Peace. End gun violence", Coco Gauff writes in the camera lens after booking her spot in the #RolandGarros final. pic.twitter.com/3FR5DG7c6w
— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) June 2, 2022
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.
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.
“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.”
Max Sherry