Martina Navratilova once shared her thoughts on Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka’s activism in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Navratilova was especially appreciative of the duo taking a stand on the issue despite enjoying a privileged position in society.
At just 16 years old, Gauff captured attention when she passionately spoke about police brutality and racial injustice at a Black Lives Matter protest in her hometown of Delray Beach, Florida. Meanwhile, Osaka made a statement with the masks she wore at the 2020 US Open during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each of her masks was emblazoned with the name of a Black victim of racial violence.
Martina Navratilova applauded Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka for speaking out about the important issue despite being in a “privileged” position. However, the former World No. 1 acknowledged that, as Black women, both Gauff and Osaka had a personal understanding of the struggles their parents faced.
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"There and there, you have an example of young women of colour speaking out because they see what’s going on, They’re privileged because they have achieved something and they’re respected for that. But as black women, they know what their mothers and fathers had to go through. So it’s great to see them taking the bull by the horn and taking that bullhorn," Navratilova told the Irish Times.
During this time, Martina Navratilova also said Coco Gauff had the ability to "change the world for the better" by raising her voice about such matters.
"Off the court Coco Gauff seems like me" - Naomi Osaka on feeling a sense of kinship with the American
Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff being united in their activism wasn't too surprising, since Osaka has spoken about feeling a sense of kinship with the American. Ahead of their blockbuster clash at the 2019 US Open, the Japanese described Gauff as "super sweet" and disclosed that she related to her off-court personality.
"Off the court she seems like me. Well, she seems a little bit more like she knows what she's doing. I saw her in the locker room, and she just had her headphones on. I was, like, Oh, looks familiar. I just went up and talked a little bit. She's super sweet," Osaka said in a press conference at the US Open.
Osaka emerged victorious in their blockbuster third-round meeting at the New York Major, claiming a dominant 6-3, 6-0 victory over the American. After seeing that Gauff was in tears at the net, the Japanese sweetly consoled the then-15-year-old and gave her a warm hug.
Coco Gauff opened up about how much Naomi Osaka's kind gesture meant to her when the four-time Grand Slam champion watched her compete at the 2023 US Open.
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