Coco Gauff, the world No. 2 tennis star, marked Juneteenth with a heartfelt celebration of her Black American heritage while competing at the Berlin Ladies Open, per Sportskeeda. The 21-year-old, who won the 2023 US Open and 2025 French Open, posted on X, “Happy Juneteenth,” and shared an Instagram message advocating “freedom for all,” emphasizing the holiday’s significance as a federal commemoration of slavery’s abolition in 1865, per. Gauff, in Berlin for her second-round match against Wang Xinyu, expressed pride in her roots, a sentiment echoed in her French Open victory speech on June 7, where she dedicated her win to “Americans that look like me” amidst political turmoil, per The Guardian.
Gauff’s activism reflects her family’s legacy, including her grandmother Yvonne Lee Odom, the first Black student at Delray Beach’s Seacrest High School in 1961, per Marca. Her $100,000 donation to the United Negro College Fund and the Coco Gauff Scholarship Program for HBCU tennis students, launched in May 2025, underscore her commitment, per EssentiallySports. Fans on X, like @remaztheog, noted the significance of her Berlin campaign starting on Juneteenth, per. Gauff’s actions continue her history of advocating for racial equality, inspired by figures like Martin Luther King Jr., per EssentiallySports.
