Coco Gauff delivers speech at Black Lives Matter protest: 'Change must happen now'

Coco Gauff, 16-year-old rising star of tennis, has reaffirmed her commitment to speaking out about racial injustice and says "change must happen now" following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. 

In a rousing speech delivered at a Black Lives Matter protest in Delray Beach, south Florida, Gauff called on activists to use their vote and urged sympathetic white listeners to not remain silent.

On Wednesday, Gauff sent Roger Federer a detailed list of ways in which people might be able to help the cause after the Swiss posted a black square on his Instagram feed.

"I think it's sad that I'm here protesting the same things that she (Gauff's grandmother) did, 50 plus years ago," began Gauff's speech.

"I've been spending all week having tough conversations, trying to educate my non-black friends about how they can help the movement.

"Second, we need to take action. Yes, we're all out here protesting and I'm not of age to vote, but it is in your hands to vote for my future, for my brother's future and for your future.

"Third, you need to use your voice. No matter how big or small your platform is, you need to use your voice. I saw a Dr (Martin Luther) King quote that said 'the silence of the good people is worse than the brutality of the bad people'. So you need to not be silent, because if you are being silent you are choosing the side of the oppressor. "

Gauff and her close friend Naomi Osaka have been vocal about social justice issues.

Last weekend, the pair appeared in a video fronted by Frances Tiafoe with the slogan “Racquets Down, Hands Up”. It featured black players, commentators and administrators making a stand, including Serena Williams, Gaël Monfils and British No2 Heather Watson.

"I've heard many things this past week, and one of things I've heard is 'well it's not my problem'," Gauff continued.

"That is why I have to tell you this: if you listen to black music, if you like black culture and you have black friends then this is your fight too.

"It's not your job to say Lil Uzi Vert is my favourite artist but I don't care what happened to George Floyd. How does that make sense?

"I demand change now. It is sad that it takes another black man's life for all of this to happen but we have to understand that this has been going on for years."

Gauff added: "It breaks my heart because I'm fighting for the future for my brothers, I'm fighting for the future for my future kids, I'm fighting for the future for my future grand children. So we must change now and I promise to always use my platform to spread vital information and spread awareness."

Former world No 1 Kim Clijsters responded: "Thank you for being a girl that my daughter will learn from and look up to. I promise that we will keep on teaching our kids  the right thing to do so that they can pass it on too. It all starts at home!"

Tennis's big three - Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic - all posted a black square on their social media channels on Wednesday, but some questioned why they had not accompanied the image with their own words of support.