Coco Gauff on adulthood, Gaza, advocating for change and dreams of greatness

As she gets ready to bid her teen years farewell, Coco Gauff has joked about her least favourite part of ‘adulting’ – as the kids are calling it these days – so far.

“I've always been aware that I had to pay taxes even when I was a minor but I guess now I’m more aware of how much money is going to the government and it's a lot, so I would say that part, being aware of it, is something I'm not enjoying,” Gauff says with a laugh as she sat down with The National at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Monday.

“I've been paying taxes since I’ve been making money. But just now, when I turned 19, my dad has made me more aware of how much I'm paying and how everything works with that world. I wish I could go back to not knowing how much is going away.”

Gauff, who turns 20 next month, has always been mature beyond her years and admits she feels like she’s been an adult since she was 15, breaking out on tour with a headline-grabbing run to the Wimbledon second week as a qualifier.

The reigning US Open champion has never shied away from speaking up about social issues, drawing inspiration from her grandmother Yvonne Lee Odom, who back in 1961, was chosen to integrate Seacrest High School in Delray Beach.

At 15, Gauff was already using her social media platform to educate people during Black History Month. At 16, she gave a stirring speech at a Black Lives Matter rally. From a young age, her parents, Corey and Candi, have encouraged her to believe she could “change the world with her racquet” and Gauff has taken that advice to heart.

Competing in the Middle East this month, Gauff said she is praying for peace in the region.

“I feel like it would be ignorant to say I’m not aware, I’m very aware of everything that's going on