American tennis star Coco Gauff isn’t going to let her haters bring her down.
A little over a week ago, Gauff was accused of cheating against Sun Xinran at the China Open. The two-time Grand Slam champion was serving down 4-5 when she called for a hindrance mid-rally. The fans in attendance were furious that Gauff’s request was granted since Xinran was lined up to hit a winner and make it 15-30 in that game.
Gauff went on to win the opening set and cruise through the second set for a 7-5, 6-1 victory. Unfortunately, she received a ton of awful messages online that included racial slurs and threats.
“Hey everyone, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist,” Gauff said. “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.”
This situation got so out of hand that a statement was issued by the United Nations Human Rights Office.
“Racist messages such as those targeting tennis player @CocoGauff online are appalling and illustrate that Black female athletes are specifically targeted for vitriol and racial abuse,” UN Human Rights wrote on social media. “There is no place in sport for racial or sexist slurs and abuse. Players, coaches, and sports bodies need to stand up for those facing such attacks and fans need to push back against those who sully sport with racism and sexism.”
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Geoff Burke.
Despite all the heat she’s receiving online, Gauff hasn’t allowed that to slow down her life. In fact, she shared a swimsuit photo and video online Thursday.
“So happy you’re relaxing,” one fan commented. “You deserve it.”
“I miss you so much, Coco. Just a week ago, I could still see you at the training ground,” a second fan replied.
“I love Coco,” another fan declared.
WTA facing criticism for failing to support Coco Gauff.
Over the past week, former tennis players and fans have put the WTA Tour on blast for failing to protect Gauff amid all the criticism.
“I’m very disappointed that the WTA didn’t make a statement saying that Coco did nothing wrong,” former American tennis player Brad Gilbert said, via Tennis Temple.
Former French Open semifinalist Andrea Petkovic also called out the WTA: “I would have liked to see a statement, some form of protection. That’s the first thing.”
Gauff will return to the court fairly soon to compete in the Billie Jean King Cup playoff tie between Hungary and the United States.
