There is certainly something that proves humanity is a good thing when one does an unexpected act of charity. This is what Coco Gauff did recently when she donated to help provide scholarships at historically black colleges. The money was given to the UNCF, the largest minority education organization in the United States.
The amount was for $100,000. Of course, college tuition is so expensive currently that the amount of money given can only go so far, but it will certainly help those in need. Gauff did not grow up wealthy, but she has been so successful early in her career through winning tournaments and endorsement deals that she has a reported net worth of a bit over $34 million. She earned it.
She could have also sat on the money and done things that only pleased her, but instead, she decided to give back. One can assume this is not the last time the player will give a substantial amount of money to an organization either.
Coco Gauff gives back, Elena Rybakina opens up, and Emma Raducanu struggles
In completely different news, Elena Rybakina recently spoke about her coaching mess ahead of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open. Late last year, the player let go of long-time coach Stefano Vukov, who some alleged had been verbally abusive to Rybakina. She then hired Goran Ivansevic, Novak Djokovic's former coach, only to split ways with him soon after she re-hired Vukov.
About Ivanisevic, Rybakina said, "We just sat down, we talked, and we decided to go our separate ways. But I think I learned a lot and it’s not easy to find a good collaboration. It, of course, takes time and everything, but that was our decision."
It does seem odd that she would have "learned a lot" in such a short amount of time. The two only worked together for a couple of months.
She also blamed herself a bit for the perceived issues in the relationship between her and Vukov. Rybakina said, "We’ll see how this year goes for me. I’m also not such an easy player maybe like some people think, ‘Oh it’s easy with her’, or something, but it’s not really like this. think every person is different and there is no one who is perfect. I can be sometimes stubborn on the court..."
One player not having much success on the court recently is Emma Raducanu. She was the 2021 US Open champion, which is her only title on the WTA tour, and one might wonder if she will ever reach the lofty expectations she helped set for herself after taking the victory in the major. For much of the last couple of years, she has dealt with major injuries and inconsistent form.
That last part is the case currently. She reached the third round of the Australian Open but was destroyed in her final match in Melbourne by Iga Swiatek 6-1 6-0. Raducanu then lost in the first round of the Singapore Open to Cristina, and she was most recently bounced out of the Abu Dhabi Open in the first round by Marketa Vondrousova.
At least, the Brit is losing to good players, but that is still three losses in a row. At this point, Raducanu appears to be a consistent also-ran then a threat to be a long-term force on the WTA tour.