Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has supplied vocal assist when two of the game’s rising stars, Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka, used their platforms to amplify the message of the Black Lives Matter motion throughout probably the most turbulent durations in latest American historical past.
At simply 16 years previous, Coco Gauff surprised the world not with a forehand winner or a serve down the T, however along with her phrases.
Coco Gauff seemly throws shade over Roland Garros trophy
Talking powerfully at a Black Lives Matter rally in her hometown of Delray Seaside, Florida, Gauff condemned racial injustice and police brutality with a maturity that belied her age.
Her impassioned plea was a galvanizing second that underscored simply how deeply the younger star felt the load of historical past.
Osaka, in the meantime, took a quieter however equally impactful method on the 2020 U.S. Open, a event held in the course of the top of the COVID-19 pandemic and the worldwide depending on race.
Osaka wore a unique masks for every match, each bearing the identify of a Black sufferer of racial violence-Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and others. It was a symbolic but piercing reminder to thousands and thousands of viewers that some names ought to by no means be forgotten.
Navratilova sees energy in goal
Talking to the Irish Instances, Martina Navratilova expressed each admiration and gratitude towards the younger stars, noting that whereas Gauff and Osaka have earned a privileged place in society by means of their athletic success, they haven’t let that privilege silence them.
“There and there, you’ve got an instance of younger ladies of color talking out as a result of they see what is going on on,” Navratilova mentioned.
“They’re privileged as a result of they’ve achieved one thing and so they’re revered for that. However as black ladies, they know what their moms and dads needed to undergo. So it is nice to see them taking the bull by the horn and taking that bullhorn.”
For Navratilova, whose personal life and profession have been outlined by pushing boundaries-both on and off the court-the actions of Gauff and Osaka had been extra than simply commendable. They had been an indication that the subsequent technology is unafraid to hold the torch of activism.
She added that Gauff, particularly, had the potential to make an enduring distinction past tennis.
“Coco has the flexibility to alter the world for the higher,” Navratilova mentioned throughout the identical interval, referring to Gauff‘s eloquence, braveness, and willingness to make use of her voice regardless of her youth and the pressures {of professional} sport.
