“I just love to say I’m right. Specifically today, I got comments about how I was going to lose badly, so I was just like, ‘OK, we’ll see,’ It’s honestly just liking the idea of just proving people wrong and, and letting your racket do the talking. And so, yeah, I use it as motivation,” Coco Gauff had said after her WTA Finals victory. What else one could have said after a victory against Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng? That too, after going down by a set and trailing midway through the second. Such a big victory demands big celebrations. And Coco had none other than her grandmother, Yvonne Lee Odom, for that.

While the end of the season has lightened up for the WTA number three, the entire year has been full of ups and downs for her. She kicked off this season in great style – winning the ASB Classic. Despite that, Gauff’s performance spiraled down. She had forehand and double-fault issues throughout the year. However, the American player invested her hard work in improvement and brought a change in her mentorship.

In the second half of the season, she quickly rose to her potential and won the 2024 China Open. She also ended the 2024 Wuhan Open as a semifinalist. In Riyadh, she defeated Zheng by 3-6, 6-4, and 7(7)- 6(2). With the intense year wrapping up, Coco let her hair down with a sumptuous seafood date with her grandmother.

The WTA number three took to her official IG story and shared a picture of a plate full of delicious seafood. It was giant crabs boiled with sausages, eggs, and corn, which looked simply mouth-watering. “seafood date with my gma. lolll after being overseas and in season all I wanted was a seafood boil and I’m hitting up wing stop tmmrw bet believe,” she added as the caption. Gauff’s words showcased how badly she craved her simple pleasures back home. And having her grandmother in that, she reiterated how much she owes the lady.

“Yeah, I think she’s probably “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,” said Gauff in a press conference during the 2023 US Open. And why not? Odom is not your ordinary woman. She has etched her name in the history of Florida. So much so that till one point it was Coco who was known as Odom’s granddaughter! And for good reasons.

At the same age, Gauff turned pro, Yvonne Lee was breaking barriers of segregation. The year was 1961. Lee was named to the upcoming homecoming court and was getting ready to be captain of the basketball team at her all-Black Carver High. But then the 15-year-old was entrusted with an uphill task.

Headed into the next fall, she was set to become the first Black student to attend Delray Beach’s all-white Seacrest High School (It later merged with Carver to become the Atlantic Community High School in the 1970-71 school year). The U.S. Supreme Court had ruled segregated schools were unconstitutional in 1954 in Brown v. Board of Education. Consequently, the NAACP began seeking Black students who would fit to attend all-white schools.

Odom’s father, the late Rev. R.M. Lee, pastor of St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Boynton Beach, thought his daughter had all the potential for the role, she was gifted in academics and sports alike. Thus came the day, September 25, 1961, Odom’s first day of school that broke history and rewrote it.

Security was tight, for good reasons. However, for Odom, the day, though significant, was just like one more day at school. “I was just going to school. I wasn’t afraid. If they told me to integrate, I was going to integrate,” she had said to Palm Beach Post. Sheer grit, indeed!

By the time Lee graduated in 1964, she had four Black classmates. She later earned a degree in elementary education from Florida Atlantic University and a master’s in reading from Nova University. She went on to become a mathematics teacher at Carver Middle School and married her high-school sweetheart from Carver High, Eddie Odom Jr. Several of her children also became teachers, including Coco Gauff’s mom, Candi.

While the WTA star draws strength and inspiration from her grandmother’s courage, her grandmother also couldn’t be more proud of the incredible trail her granddaughter is blazing. Not to forget the adorable social media story of Gauff which showcased how her grandmother collects all the magazines with her photo on them. Recently, Yvonne Lee Odom dropped a touching message for her granddaughter highlighting their relationship equation.

Coco Gauff’s grandmother foresees a bright future for the WTA star

One thing Gauff fans would agree on is that the WTA number three’s incredible strength comes from her family’s support. Recently, Gauff came across a fan page-made video where she was greeting her fans while her grandmother’s inspirational words were playing in the background. “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,” said Gauff’s grandmother.

She further added, “You know I’ve always said that because if you do your best, win or lose, I might not care if you win another match, you already made me proud. So always, do your best. Like your grandaddy said, ‘Never say die.”.

Whether off-court or on-court, this message surely lifts Gauff’s spirits anytime. It is no wonder the WTA star not only dropped hearts on the comment thread but she also reshared it on her IG story with the sweet caption, “Love my grandma.” As Gauff continues to show her potential to the tennis world, her grandmother’s words serve as a reminder of her values. In fact, she has already created some historic moments of her own.

Gauff wowed the world marching as the youngest flag bearer ever for the U.S. in the Olympics Opening Ceremony. WTA Finals also added some fresh pages to the tennis history book.

It is for the first time in her career that Gauff has defeated the No. 1 (Aryna Sabalenka) and No. 2 (Iga Swiatek) in the same tournament. In fact, she became the first American to do so since 2012, when Serena Williams defeated Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova in the WTA Finals. Besides, Gauff has also become the youngest player to qualify for the championship match of the WTA Finals since Caroline Wozniacki did it in 2010. The win makes Coco the youngest player in 20 years (after Maria Sharapova, 17, in 2004) to win the tournament and the youngest American to win it since Serena (2001). And these were not enough then look at this.

Coco’s triumph at Riyadh brings with it a whopping prize money of over 4.8 million dollars, the largest single prize in WTA history, according to the Tennis Channel. Looking at all these, it seems that the legacy of Coco’s grandmother and her family are indeed in safe hands.