Coco Gauff Says Racist Online Abuse Led to ‘Draining’ Days as She Deals with First Loss
· Yahoo Sports
Credit: Robert Prange/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Coco Gauff is speaking out after receiving hateful online messages
- The tennis star said she had been affected by the posts, after her loss in the quarterfinals of the China Open
- Gauff, 22, came up short at the US Open last month, advancing to the semifinals but ultimately losing to eventual champ Elena Rybakina
After losing to an opponent that she’s previously beaten five times, Coco Gauff shared that she has been struggling after receiving racist messages on social media.
On Wednesday, Oct. 7, Gauff lost to 19th-ranked Elise Mertens 6-3, 6-3 in the China Open quarterfinals — and she admitted that the online vitriol has taken a toll.
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“It has been kind of draining, I’m not going to lie,” Gauff, 22, told reporters. “I just turn off my phone and move on. There’s nothing you can do.”
On Monday, the tennis star was hit with a barrage of racist messages on X after an incident that occurred during her match against Sun Xinran.
Coco GauffCredit: Robert Prange/Getty
Gauff paused a point mid-rally due to the “flickering” distraction of advertising hoardings in her line of sight, which drew criticism.
“Hey everyone, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist,” Gauff wrote Monday on X. “The amount of racist comments/dms I’ve received in the last few hours is insane. Lastly, I’m not a cheater or a thief.”
In her match against Mertens, Gauff had eight double faults and committed 34 unforced errors, ESPN reported.
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“I think today I was just a bit flat,” Gauff said. “I just didn’t play well. I think I wasn’t moving well. There were a lot of things I didn’t do well.”
Last month, Gauff came up short at the US Open in the semis.
Hours after her quest for a third Grand Slam title came to an end against the eventual champ Elena Rybakina, Gauff shared her perspective in an Instagram post.
“Gave it my all,” Gauff wrote. “New york, thank you. It hurts but I‘ll be back💛”
For the world No. 4 player, the loss was a tough setback. Gauff took the first set, 6-3, and looked to be on path for the win, but dropped the second, 4-6.
A third and deciding set against the noted ball-striker ended anti-climactically when the Floridian’s gimme smash sailed out of bounds at match point.
“I mean, right now it sucks,” Gauff said after the match. “My dad came up and said, ‘You have accomplished so many things this summer,’ and I just said, ‘I don’t care about the summer.’ Right now that is where my head is at.”
Read the original article on People