NFL
By: Zachary Draves
There is no stopping Coco Gauff. She is well on her way to possibly winning the US Open after dominating her first Quarterfinal against Jelana Ostapenko (6-0, 6-2) on Tuesday. In doing so, the 19 year old became the first American teenager to make it to semifinals since Serena Williams.
From the moment she set foot into Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, Gauff made it clear from the jump that she was there to not only win, but do so on her own terms. It was abundant on August 28 during her first round match against Laura Siegemund in which she chastised the umpire over what she saw as Siegemund taking too much time in between points to serve the ball.
(Courtesy: Corey Sipkin/AFP/Getty Images)
“She’s never ready when I’m serving, she said. She went over the clock, like, four times. You gave her time violation once. How is this fair? No, you’re calling the score, like, six seconds after the point is over.”
It wasn’t that long ago when a tennis player, especially a black woman, would be jeered for arguing with the umpire and in some quarters be looked at with bruting negatvity. As was the case with Serena during the epic 2018 US Open Final with Naomi Osaka in which she argued with umpire Carlos Ramos over allegations of coaching that resulted in her being penalized and generated a swarm of discussion about the prevalence of sexism in sport.
But this time the crowd, which included former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, was overwhelmingly on the side of Gauff and she used that to her advantage. She came back after losing the first set (6-3) to win the next two (6-2, 6-4), a testimony to her valiant resilience and vibrancy that has carried her throughout the tournament.
As her highly anticipated Semifinals match against Karolína Muchová looms, it is incumbent to look at her as the culmination of a trajectory of black women in tennis asserting their right to autonomy in a predominantly white elite sport that has historically been marred by both racism and sexism.
It all starts with the incomparable pioneer Althea Gibson who became the first black female professional tennis player in the 1950s. In 1956, she became the first African American to win a Grand Slam title at the French Open. The following year she captured Wimbleton and the US Open and repeated as champion in both in 1958.
At a time when segregation was the law of the land and before there was Title IX, Gibson became the standard bearer with her redefining style that included charging the net and hitting groundstrokes with tremendous vigor. In doing so, her femininity was questioned, but she never relented.
Thus, she opened the door for other black women to follow and to succeed on their own standards.
In the years that followed, Zina Garrison, Ora Mae Washington, the Williams Sisters, Naomi Osaka, Sloane Stephens, and Taylor Townsend each carried the mantle of black womanhood in tennis with sheer excellence. Each have had to encounter both racist and sexist hostilities on everything from their body images to their mental wellness. But all of whom, much like Althea, didn’t give in and won on their own terms while staying true to their authentic selves.
Now there is Coco Gauff. All these women laid down the path for her to walk on and she is walking with brudding confidence as she should. Whatever happens from this point, she will be forging on a tradition of black girl magic in tennis that is rooted in autonomy and authenticity. She will continue to win and not only that, she will win with history, or better yet herstory, on her side.
Game. Set. Match.
