Coco Gauff says she has no bad feelings against a group of protesters that interrupted her semi-final match at the US Open and has endorsed such actions as long as they are ‘peaceful.’
The world No.6 was leading Karolina Muchova by a set and 1-0 before a 50-minute delay occurred after a group of individuals began disrupting play. The group was wearing t-shirts that read ‘End Fossil Fuels’ with one member gluing their feet to the ground. The New York Police Department (NYPD) and a medical team member were required to remove that person safely. All of the protesters were later taken into police custody.
According to The Associated Press, a group called Extinction Rebellion has said it was responsible for the protest. However, it is unclear if they are linked to the UK-based environmental group which also has the same name. One of the members, Ian, says the Grand Slam was targeted due to its sponsorship deals with companies accused of contributing towards global warming. A topic which has been mentioned at this year’s US Open due to the extreme heat players have been playing in on some days.
“We are not trying to harm the athletes in any way. We have nothing against the sport,” Ian told ap.com. “But we are really trying to draw attention to an issue here that there will be no tennis left for anybody in the world to enjoy.”
Whilst the actions have raised eyebrows of some, Gauff says she understands their motivation for doing so. The 19-year-old has previously been one of a few in the sport to speak out about social issues such as the Black Lives Matter movement and Florida’s decision to ban the discussion of sexual orientation in the state’s schools.
“I always speak about preaching about what you feel and what you believe in,” she said. “It was done in a peaceful way, so I can’t get too mad at it.’
“Obviously I don’t want it to happen when I’m winning up 6-4, 1-0, and I wanted the momentum to keep going. But if that’s what they felt they needed to do to get their voices heard, I can’t really get upset at it.”
Gauff, who beat Muchova in straight sets, said she felt that such incidents would occur at Flushing Meadows this year following similar protests that have happened at other tournaments this year. As for the topic of protecting the environment, she believes that more can be done to address these issues.
“I think that throughout history moments like this are defining moments. I believe in climate change. I don’t really know exactly what they were protesting but I know it was about the environment,” she commented.
“I think there are things we can do better. I know the tournaments are doing things to do better for the environment. Would I prefer it not to happen in my match? 100%, yeah. I’m not gonna sit here and lie. But it is what it is.”
Gauff is the youngest American player to reach a US Open final since Serena Williams in 1999. She will face Aryna Sabalenka for the title on Saturday.
