"Should listen to the players more": Coco Gauff urges tournaments, players to “meet a middle ground” to ensure health and safety amid French Open 2024

Coco Gauff recently spoke for the health and safety of her tennis colleagues. She is currently in contention for the women's singles championship at the 2024 French Open.

Gauff advanced to the quarterfinals of Roland Garros by registering a straight-set win over Elisabetta Cocciaretto on Sunday, June 2. She overcame Cocciaretto 6-1, 6-2 on the back of five break points and three aces.

After the match, the third seed sat in the press room where one of the reporters asked her to comment on the plight of athletes due to rising demand for participation, amid tight scheduling and late finishes in tennis and other sports. She suggested the athletes should be more listened to, saying:

"We are their product essentially and I definitely think that some tournaments are becoming more understanding, some tournaments are becoming more understanding than others, it's tough. I can't speak for other sports, I don't know how their setup is run but I think in general, we should listen to players more."

The 20-year-old refrained from seeking a paradigm shift but asked for the bare minimum, like not switching between lighter and heavier balls every tournament, for the safety and health of players. Gauff urged the organizers and players to find common ground.

"I know there's a product to sell and I know there's certain things out of the control but overall if you know a list of little things as like the balls, if there's multiple players complaining about the ball changing especially on the men’s side every week, I think that can be considered when it comes to tournaments, and the health and safety of players," Coco Gauff said.

"I do agree that things can be run better behind the scenes and I think that tournaments are trying their best and players are trying their best. I just think we have to meet a middle ground for health and safety of everyone," she added.

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Coco Gauff: "Don't wanna complain too much because we are very privileged to be playing for a lot of money"

Coco Gauff in action at the 2024 French Open. Photo: Getty

In the same presser at the 2024 French Open, Coco Gauff decided not to protest too much against the setup she felt "blessed" to be a part of.

"Obviously, I don't wanna complain too much about it because we are very blessed and privileged to be playing for a lot of money and there's people working real hard job under worse conditions for less money to get by. So, it's a balance between two things," Coco Gauff said.

The American recalled her humble background and added:

"Yes, things can get better but also it's more something that you can probably privately I would complain about. It's just tough for me knowing where some of my family come from and where things are, I think about the people hearing this and yes if I was a person working, I would be upset to hear players complain."

Eyeing the €2.4 million winner's prize money at the French Open, Coco Gauff's next challenge is Ons Jabeur. The two will clash in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, June 4.