Coco Gauff Shares Heartfelt Tribute to Grandparents After They Receive ‘Well-Deserved’ Community Award

Just a few days ago, Coco Gauff was spotted enjoying some time with her grandfather, Eddie ‘Red’ Odom. She shared a picture of her grandfather, whose online presence is almost non-existent on social media. Gauff captioned, “Granddad💜,” on the selfie with him. Along with her grandfather’s picture, she also shared a few glimpses of her preparations for Thanksgiving. A few weeks before, she had a sumptuous seafood date with her grandmother, Yvonne Lee Odom. Her grandparents have played a crucial role in her upbringing. Recently, Coco Gauff highlighted an incredible achievement of her grandparents. What was it, though?

Coco Gauff’s grandmother, Yvonne Lee Odom, has weathered quite a few storms in her life. However, she has never hesitated to stand up for herself and the community when it mattered the most. She was the first Black student at Delray Beach’s Seacrest High School. In 1961, during the time of segregation and prejudice, she incurred a ban from a bus carrying white pupils and teachers even asked her not to use the same loos. However, that’s not the end of her inspiring story! Despite being a sprinter and captain of her old school’s basketball team, Odom was cruelly denied the chance to play at the Seacrest, simply because she was Black.

It shattered her dream of a college sports scholarship! However, she never gave up her fight. Now she has finally managed to fulfill all her unfulfilled wishes through her granddaughter. Even her grandfather has played a crucial role in inspiring their granddaughter on her tennis journey. We often see Gauff speaking about their contributions to her life and recently, she was spotted congratulating them on winning the Community Lifetime Achievement Award. The tennis star shared a photo of her grandparents on her IG Story with the caption, “community lifetime achievement award 💜 no one more deserving @yvonne.odom my grandparents >>>.”

Coco Gauff has garnered a reputation for speaking her mind! We’ve often seen her speaking against anti-LGBTQ laws in her home state, Florida. There have also been instances when the tennis star was also spotted demanding racial justice at a BLM rally. She never shies away from taking bold steps and raising her voice on what she feels is right. Is this inspired by her grandparents’ incredible contribution to the community? I mean, who’s her real inspiration?

Well, speaking on this Gauff once revealed, “She’s (grandmother) the sole, or one of the main, reasons why I use my platform the way that I do and why I feel so comfortable speaking out.” Further talking about her battles in her life, Gauff once said, “For her (Yvonne Lee Odom) to go through what she did during that time [makes me think that] putting out a tweet or saying a speech is so easy compared to that. That’s why I have no problem doing the things that I do. She always reminds me that I’m a person first instead of an athlete.”

Not only that, even during the 2023 BJK Cup, the young American tennis star shared her thoughts on how her grandparents have become a “true inspiration.” Coco Gauff said, “Yeah, my grandmother. Grandparents in general just mean a lot to me. I know a lot of you probably know what my grandmother or grandfather has done for this community regarding racial justice, equality, and equality in general.” What does her grandmother think about Gauff’s incredible rise, though?

“Coco Gauff was destined for greatness” – Yvonne Lee Odom heaps praise on her granddaughter’s incredible rise

Coco Gauff is just 20 years old and has already won 9 titles in her career and guess what? That includes her heroics at the 2023 US Open! The small kid from Atlanta, Georgia, is now a Top 3 player! What does her grandmother think about this rapid rise? Well, during a previous conversation, Yvonne Lee Odom revealed, “Coco, to me, was destined for greatness because as a little girl, she displayed that in many ways. I love you, you know I always say I love you, but do your best.”

This year she became the youngest flag bearer ever for the US at the Olympics Ceremony. Coco Gauff also managed to finish the year on a high note by winning the WTA Finals. She has seen a lot of ups and downs throughout these past six years. So what lesson does her grandmother want to teach her life?