Coco Gauff, the world No. 2 and 2025 French Open champion, revealed the extent of the online abuse she has endured, including death threats, racist comments, and explicit content, during a press conference at the Berlin Open, per Tennis365. Speaking to DW, Gauff detailed the “gross” nature of the harassment, stating, “It’s the worst you can get. Death threats, to your family, to yourself. I’ve had people DM my boyfriend and friends about it. Racist comments, like all you can imagine. Nudity, things like that,” per Pro Football Network. The 21-year-old American, who recently confirmed her relationship with Jalen Sera, emphasized the toll of such abuse, which also targeted her loved ones, per.
Gauff’s comments followed a joint WTA and ITF report highlighting that 40% of online abuse in tennis is linked to gambling, with 97% of abusive messages from just 23% of accounts, per Tennis365. She called for social media platforms to intervene, noting Instagram’s poor comment filtering compared to TikTok’s, and suggested banning accounts tied to the same phone number or email to curb repeat offenders, per DW. Gauff, who has faced racism since age 12 when Croatian boys threw orange peels at her during a tournament in France, stressed the need for broader action, saying, “It’s not just tennis players. Influencers, other athletes, they all get these comments,” per Sportskeeda.
Despite her advocacy, Gauff suffered a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Wang Xinyu in Berlin, her first match since Roland Garros, per Tennis Temple. Fans on X, like @TennisInfinity1, expressed outrage, amplifying her call for change, per. Gauff’s resilience in addressing abuse while competing underscores her leadership in tennis.
