With Black History Month being celebrated in the United States, Coco Gauff expressed her pride in her grandparents, Yvonne Lee Odom and Eddie Odom, whose pioneering efforts recently gained recognition. The revolutionary act of Yvonne and Eddie also drew a reaction from the former World No. 2’s mother, Candi Gauff.
Amid Black History Month, Coco Gauff Celebrates Grandparents Founding Delray Beach American Little League
Gauff’s grandfather, Eddie, used to play baseball but was unable to pursue a professional career due to racial discrimination. To help ensure that Black children had opportunities in baseball, he founded the Delray Beach American Little League in 1971, where no children were denied entry regardless of race.
Recently, amidst Black History Month, Gauff’s grandmother, Yvonne, shared the story behind her husband Eddie’s decision to create the Delray Beach American Little League. She revealed that Eddie’s “only desire” was to establish his own Major League in his hometown after being denied the chance to continue playing because of racial segregation.
“My name is Yvonne Lee Odom, and I’m here to give you some historical perspective on the formation of the Delray Beach American Little League. We’ve been around since 1971. My husband who is a former Major League player got cut from his Major League team and he was just hired for the city of Delray Beach and his only desire was to form his own Major League back in his own hometown that was his desire,” Odom said.
Reacting to her grandmother’s narration about Eddie starting the Delray Beach American Little League, Gauff shared the video on her social media, praising her “grandparents” and adding a red heart emoji. The two-time singles Grand Slam champion’s mother, Candi, also re-shared the video of Yvonne recounting the story on her social media.
“my grandparents ❤️,” Gauff captioned her Instagram story.
On the tennis side of things, Gauff most recently competed at the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships, where she triumphed over Anna Kalinskaya, Elise Mertens, and Alexandra Eala before falling to the eventual runner-up, Elina Svitolina, in the semifinals.
Looking ahead, Gauff will next compete at the 2026 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, scheduled to take place from March 4 to March 15, 2026. The main draw matches will be held on the outdoor hard courts at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
The former World No. 2 recorded her best result at the BNP Paribas Open in 2024. She was seeded third and began her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. She eliminated Clara Burel, Lucia Bronzetti, Elise Mertens, and Yuan Yue before losing to eventual runner-up Maria Sakkari in the semifinals.
