The United Nations has condemned people who sent racist abuse to Coco Gauff after she followed the rules of tennis correctly at the China Open in Beijing.
The 22-year-old American was sent what she called an “insane” amount of comments and direct messages after stopping a point mid-rally against 16-year-old home player Sun Xinran Monday.
On Saturday, the UN’s Human Rights office issued a statement calling the abuse “appalling” and asking sports leagues to stand up for targeted players.
“Racist messages such as those targeting tennis player Coco Gauff online are appalling and illustrate that Black female athletes are specifically targeted for vitriol and racial abuse,” the organization wrote in a statement posted on X.
“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.”
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. There is no place in sport for racial or sexist slurs and abuse. Players, coaches, and sports… pic.twitter.com/nUdq5ARGBp
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) October 10, 2026
Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam champion, had stopped a point to video review a possible hindrance as Sun prepared to hit a winner.
The point was replayed because the advertising hoardings had flickered mid-rally. Gauff won the replayed point, and then won the match.
According to the WTA rulebook: “A let should be called if a player is hindered by an event outside of her control (e.g., ball rolling onto the court, paper blowing onto the court, etc.) during play or her service motion.”
Gauff responded to the abuse — replying directly to a poster who used a racial slur against her — in the early hours of Tuesday morning in Beijing.
“Hey everyone, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist. 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,” she wrote on X.
“I think it’s weird I’m getting hate for following the rules,” Gauff added.
During her next match, a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Belgium’s Elise Mertens, Gauff told her team: “I have no energy. I’m trying, I have no energy. I can’t see the ball, I feel like I’m going to pass out.”
Speaking in a mixed zone afterward, Gauff said that the experience had been “kind of draining, I’m not going to lie.
“I just turn off my phone and move on. I mean, there’s nothing you can do.”
Gauff has since withdrawn from the Wuhan Open, which starts next week and where she is defending champion, citing fatigue.
The WTA Tour, the governing body of women’s tennis, sent a statement to The Athletic Thursday.
“There is no place for racism, discrimination, or abuse in tennis. We are appalled by the racial abuse directed at Coco Gauff and are in contact with her to offer our full support.
“As we do for all WTA players experiencing online abuse, our Threat Matrix team is monitoring the abusive messages, working with the athlete’s team to report them to the relevant platforms and seeking action on the content and the accounts responsible.”
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Tennis, Women’s Tennis
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