Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs applauds Coco Gauff after American's noble six-figure donation to support Black tennis players

Coco Gauff donated 100,000 American dollars to UNICEF in support of HBCU students playing tennis, which was applauded by former player and former coach of Serena Williams, Rennae Stubbs.

HBCU is the designation used for universities and colleges in the United States that primarily serve African Americans. HBCU literally stands for 'Historically Black Colleges and Universities,' and most of them were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

They are fundamental parts of Black American culture, and Coco Gauff has now supported their efforts with a monetary donation. Gauff donated 100,000 US dollars to those institutions through the UNICEF program, giving the students a chance to play tennis.

This was applauded by Serena Williams' former coach, Rennae Stubbs, who shared the news on her Instagram, adding a clapping hands emoji to it.

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Stubbs has spoken about sensitive topics like racism and minorities in tennis before, mostly through the lens of what Serena Williams and Venus Williams experienced over the years. The incident from Indian Wells is well known, as is the sisters boycotting that event for a very long time.

"What they went through early on in their careers was pretty traumatic in some ways. You know, they weren't accepted by the tennis establishment, there was a lot of pushback on them. There was basic racism in tennis," Stubbs said on the Off The Ball podcast.

One player who resonates with that story quite a bit and was inspired by it is Coco Gauff.

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"It means a lot to me" - Coco Gauff on Olympics honour

Coco Gauff is a very smart individual who is not shy about speaking on complicated matters. She has spoken about being a Black tennis player in a sport often described as a 'white sport'.

One notable honor that she cherishes is being the first American tennis player to have the honor of carrying the American flag at the Olympics opening ceremony, which she shared with basketball player LeBron James. The significance of that didn't escape Gauff, who is also the first Black tennis player to do so. She said (via the NY Times):

“It means a lot to me. Especially in a sport like tennis where it is a predominantly White sport. Having Serena and Venus, kind of, lead that path for me and pave that path for me. It means a lot.”

She's also spoken greatly about what Serena and Venus Williams mean to her as players who paved the way for her and so many others. Had she not seen that, she would have likely never believed it was possible, and as the poster child of Black American tennis these days, Gauff feels a certain responsibility.

The donation she made is simply her continuing the work of the Williams' sisters, ensuring that more Black Americans could find themselves in tennis in the future.