Racist abuse left me drained after China Open loss — Gauff

Coco Gauff disclosed that she experienced a draining period following a racist incident during the China Open. This took place after she lost in the last 16 to Elise Mertens. The American player was upset earlier this week due to an incident occurring during her match against Sun Xinran. Gauff believed she had raised her hand to halt the point, but this was assumed to be due to her being distracted by flickering lights on the stadium's advertising hoardings.

This led to some boos from the crowd. The point was subsequently replayed, and Gauff emerged victorious with a score of 7-5, 6-1. On social media, she denounced the "insane" quantity of racist messages she received post-match and reiterated that she was neither a cheater nor a thief. Gauff clarified that she had challenged the point before Sun returned the ball, noticing the lights flicker a second time.

When questioned about the incident, a spokesperson from the Women’s Tennis Association expressed shock over the racial abuse Gauff faced and disclosed that they were in contact with her to provide their complete support. Gauff admitted that this incident had been draining for her, stating that she would turn off her phone and move on.

She attributed her poor performance during the match to not feeling energetic, poor movement, and not playing well. Gauff also mentioned that Elise Mertens played well during crucial points, forcing Gauff to hit big balls. Mertens will proceed to face Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals, with Swiatek defeating American Iva Jovic 6-1, 6-3.