Coco Gauff once called out the gender disparity in the scheduling of tennis courts at major tournaments, citing Roger Federer, Venus Williams and Serena Williams as examples. The American made the remarks after her fairytale run at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.
That year, Gauff entered the grasscourt Major as a qualifier and made history by reaching the main draw at just 15 years old. The American then locked horns with five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in her main draw debut and pulled off a 6-4, 6-4 upset. She built on her success by reaching the fourth round of the tournament before suffering a 6-3, 6-3 loss to eventual champion Simona Halep.
In an interview with Vogue a day after her exit, Coco Gauff spoke about her excitement to return to Wimbledon in 2020 after making her breakthrough at the event. At the same time, the American was disappointed by the disparity in court scheduling she had already observed in her young career. She shed light on her confusion over Roger Federer always being allocated the show courts at prime time.
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Although Gauff acknowledged that Venus and Serena Williams were occasionally scheduled to compete on the main courts, she said other female Grand Slam champions didn't receive the same treatment.
"During prime time, they always put the men’s matches on. I remember when I was younger and I would be confused as to why I would always see Roger [Federer] play? They put Serena and Venus on the show courts sometimes, but not another [woman] who’s won a Grand Slam," Gauff said.
Gauff also opened up about her "feminist" mindset, recounting an anecdote about how she proved her doubters wrong by outrunning her male classmates in track events at school.
"I’ve heard, 'You can’t do this because you’re a girl' so many times. At school I always used to beat the guys at running and it was this big deal—I proved them wrong! I’m a feminist because I believe that everyone should be equal," she added.
Like Coco Gauff, Serena Williams has also called out the gender disparity in court allocation at Wimbledon and other tournaments.
"A lot of people try and pit us against each other" - Coco Gauff on her fellow WTA stars
In the same interview, Coco Gauff opened up about how she and her fellow WTA stars were often pitted against one another in the media. However, the American disclosed that she and the other players all supported each other when they weren't facing off on the court.
"A lot of people try and pit us against each other. But when we’re not facing each other on court, we’re definitely rooting for one another," Coco Gauff said.
Gauff also said she understood the responsibility of having young girls look up to her in the same way she had drawn inspiration from Venus and Serena Williams when she was starting out.
"Watching the Williams sisters growing up, I always looked up to them. Now I have people saying they look up to me and it’s a big challenge. Every time I walk onto court I keep that in mind. I’m representing myself, yes, but I’m also representing young girls who want to do big things," she added.
Coco Gauff has often credited the Williams sisters for giving her the belief that she could become a professional tennis player by dominating a "predominantly white" sport.
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