COVER STORY This issue:  At 20, defending U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff is moving into a new phase of her career. At the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., maybe the most prestigious nonmajor tournament on the global tennis tour, players conduct their warm-up routines on a patch of grass outside the stadium. Some toss medicine balls to their trainers, while others stretch with elastic bands. A few pedal lightly on upright bikes. One player throws a Frisbee. Then Coco Gauff takes the field. Gauff, who in September became the first American teenager…To understand the world we live in, read TIME.

In April, two Indian writers published an ode to their Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Titled “Forever in Our Hearts,” it recounts his achievements while singing his praises. Such gushing reverence captures the essence of Modi’s popularity at home and among Indians abroad. But it also points to some darker developments in the world’s largest democracy, as its citizens head to the polls. Many Indians respect Modi; others seem to worship him. He’s beloved by a large majority of the country, as evidenced by an approval rating that climbed to a new high of 75% earlier this year…

Michael J. Fox, chasing Parkinson’s treatments. It’s been a long time since there was good news about Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative condition that affects more than 8 million people worldwide. But that changed this year, thanks in part to Michael J. Fox’s perserverance in raising awareness and pushing scientific boundaries in search of a treatment. More than two decades after he created the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the charity-funded organization is seeing its thoughfully chosen research efforts pay off. Last year, data from the foundation’s Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative…