Coco Gauff sends love to Emmy-winning actress Storm Reid for inaugurating Atlanta's revamped Brownwood Park months after their efforts

Coco Gauff expressed her admiration for Emmy-winning actress Storm Reid for inaugurating a renovated park in Atlanta that they both helped to fund.

Brownwood Park is located in the East Atlanta neighborhood and features new playground equipment, a community garden, and specially painted tennis courts. The project was a collaboration between Gauff, Reid, New Balance, and the nonprofit organization, the East Atlanta Kids Club.

Gauff and Reid, who are both from Atlanta and are brand ambassadors for sports footwear and apparel giant New Balance, joined forces last year to initiate the park’s makeover.

The park’s inauguration ceremony took place on June 19, coinciding with Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Reid, who is best known for her roles in "The Last of Us", "Euphoria", and "The Nun 2", led the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

"A glorious day in the neighborhood. what a surreal feeling. thank you, God. thank you to every single person involved. your hard work to make this dream happen doesn’t go unnoticed. the new and improved BROWNWOOD PARK is now open to the public. ATL, I love you," Reid wrote.

Gauff could not attend the ceremony as she was preparing for her grass-court season at the 2024 ecotrans Ladies Open in Berlin. However, she showed her support by sharing Reid's post on her Instagram story.

"💗💗💗💗💗, "she added.

Coco Gauff on Instagram (instagram.com/cocogauff/)

Top seed Coco Gauff will kick off her singles campaign with a Round of 16 clash against Ekaterina Alexandrova on June 20. The World No. 2 has already begun her doubles campaign with compatriot Jessica Pegula. However, their Round of 16 match against Czech duo Katerina Siniakova and Linda Noskova was suspended due to rain interruption.

Coco Gauff unveiled renovated tennis courts at Pompey Park

In March 2024, Coco Gauff unvealed newly renovated public tennis courts in Pompey Park, Delray Beach, and participated in a tennis workshop for children from the Delray Beach Youth Tennis Foundation.

The makeover of Pompey Park is the first of many tennis court improvements across the nation as part of the USTA's US Open Legacy Initiative. The inititative was started to celebrate Gauff’s first Grand Slam title.

"I strongly believe that tennis can continue to become a more accessible sport, and I would like to thank the USTA for continuing to commit to do so. Investing in public parks and our youth is very important. I had a huge dream and this city, my family, my community supported that, and now I’m in the position to help maybe spark that dream in another kid," Gauff said (quoted via USTAFlorida.com)

Coco Gauff won her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2023 U.S. Open by defeating World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets.

About the author

Shashank, a tennis journalist at Sportskeeda, joined the company about a year and a half ago. Despite his background in software engineering, his passion for the sport drove him to switch gears and dive into full-time journalism before which he worked as a tech writer.

With over 1000 articles and nearly 4 million views under his belt at SK, his stories stand out thanks to his deep dives into match stats, player tactics, and historical patterns, offering readers a fresh take every time. Above all, he is meticulous, making sure to double-check information from reliable sources before sharing it.

In Shashank's view, there's no room for debate: Novak Djokovic reigns supreme as the ultimate GOAT. He draws inspiration from the Serb's resilience, hard work, and relentless attitude, channeling those qualities into his own work.

Outside of his tennis musings, he finds joy in hitting the court himself, exploring new destinations during his travels, and watching movies.

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Edited by Pratham K Sharma