Coco Gauff turns off her phone after racist abuse

“I was turning off my phone and moving forward”: asked about the hours before she chose to shut out the messages, Coco Gauff also said she was exhausted. She had been targeted with racist abuse during the China tennis tournament, an experience that brought renewed attention to the pressure players face away from the court.

The abuse and Gauff’s defeat came in the same context, but that does not establish a causal link. The player acknowledged that she had not played well and praised her opponent’s performance in the important points. She also said that challenging what happened or disagreeing with her did not justify targeting her in that way.

In her match against Sun Xinran, Gauff had stopped play because of an advertising board as her opponent was preparing to finish the point. After a video review, the umpire ordered the point to be replayed; Gauff won it, then took the match 7-5, 6-1.

Before her match against Mertens, Gauff had won their previous five meetings; this time, the Belgian claimed her first victory over her. The Women’s Tennis Association condemned the racist abuse and said it had contacted Gauff to offer support. For the player, switching off her phone was the measure she announced to distance herself from the messages.