Coco Gauff proudly celebrates her Black American heritage as she toasts Juneteenth 2025

Coco Gauff's campaign at the Berlin Tennis Open 2025 will get underway on Thursday, June 19, coinciding with Juneteenth. While she may be across the Atlantic, she took to social media to share an inspiring message to mark the historic day.

Juneteenth is an official federal holiday in the United States to commemorate the abolition of slavery. June 19 was the day when the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation was ordered by Major General Gordon Granger in Texas in 1865. It has since become a day to celebrate and reflect for the Black community in the country.

Gauff has never shied away from proudly celebrating her heritage. She first posted on X (formerly Twitter) wishing everyone a Happy Juneteenth. She also took to Instagram to share an uplifting message in light of the occasion, advocating freedom for everyone.

"happy juneteenth" Gauff posted on X.

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"Freedom for all is worth celebrating. Happy Juneteenth!" read the message shared by Gauff on Instagram.

Screenshot of Coco Gauff's Instagram story. (Credit: Coco Gauff's Instagram account)

While it may be a holiday for everyone back home, Gauff will be grinding it out in Germany. Following her recent triumph at the French Open, she will contest her first match of the grass season against Wang Xinyu.

Coco Gauff to face Wang Xinyu in her first match on grass at the Berlin Tennis Open

Coco Gauff at the Berlin Tennis Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Coco Gauff is set to kick off her grass season at the Berlin Tennis Open 2025. She received a bye into the second round, where she will take on Wang Xinyu. The two previously crossed paths at the same stage here three years ago in their only prior meeting. The American won that match in straight sets.

If Gauff beats Wang, then she will take on eighth seed Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals on Friday, June 20. The two have an intense rivalry, with the Spaniard holding a slim 4-3 advantage in the head-to-head.

They recently faced off in the quarterfinals of this year's Australian Open. Gauff was on a nine-match winning streak but Badosa managed to beat her 7-5, 6-4 and progressed to her first Major semifinal.

Gauff will be on an eight-match winning streak while going up against Badosa this time. However, their meeting is contingent upon Wang not pulling off an upset win. The American hasn't played since her triumph in Paris. The first match on a new surface is always tricky, so she will be keen to clear the hurdle without any complications.

About the author

Rohit is a journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in covering tennis. Having been with the company for three years, he has proven himself as a formidable force in the field. With a Master's degree in law, Rohit brings his analytical and research skills to the forefront as a journalist. He stays on top of the game by using social media platforms and never misses a match for on-court insights. He values giving credit where it's due, keeping his reporting fair and accurate.

At the outset of his career, Rohit found his niche in writing previews and SEO pieces and it's this expertise that continues to define his role at Sportskeeda. He is particularly proud of one article that garnered an impressive 750k views and surpassed his "wildest dreams." Rohit is not particularly fond of (GOAT) debates and it is one of the reasons why he left the legal world behind. He prefers to view players in "tiers," where they're all esteemed to an extent. However, if pressed to name favorites, he would choose Serena and Venus Williams. The Williams sisters' journey from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of tennis has been his greatest source of inspiration.

When he isn't busy making spot-on predictions about match outcomes, Rohit likes reading, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, and comics. As an X-Men fanatic, he's also passionate about board games and enjoys watching movies in his spare time. And don't be surprised if you catch him silently wishing to the tennis gods for the removal of ad scoring from doubles.

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Edited by Rohit