Coco Gauff, the world No. 2 and 2025 French Open champion, opened up about the severe online abuse directed at her, her boyfriend Jalen Sera, and her family during a Berlin Open press conference, describing it as “gross” and including death threats, racist comments, and explicit content, per Tennis365. Speaking to DW, Gauff said, “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, who confirmed her relationship with Sera, a non-tennis player from Atlanta, in a BOSE promotional video, highlighted the emotional toll of the harassment, which extended to her loved ones, per.
Gauff’s revelation came after a WTA and ITF report revealed that 40% of online abuse in tennis is gambling-related, with 97% of 8,000 abusive messages in 2024 from just 23% of accounts, per Sportskeeda. She criticized Instagram’s ineffective comment filtering compared to TikTok and urged platforms to ban accounts using linked phone numbers or emails to prevent repeat offenders, per DW. Gauff, who faced racism as early as age 12 in Croatia, emphasized the issue’s broader impact, saying, “It’s not just tennis players. Influencers, other athletes, they all get these comments,” per. Fans on X, like @TennisInfinity1, echoed her call for action, per.
Despite the abuse, Gauff competed in Berlin, losing 6-3, 6-3 to Wang Xinyu, her first match since Roland Garros, per Tennis Temple. Her courage in addressing the “horrifying” abuse while navigating her career underscores her resilience, per.
