How Coco Gauff deals with ‘nasty’ online harassment

Coco Gauff doesn’t care that “people got mad” when she went on a blocking spree on social media after seeing negative posts about herself.

The 20-year-old tennis star didn’t hold back while discussing the “nasty” treatment she’s received online.

“I, personally, just block. I will literally spend 30 minutes blocking all the people. I don’t care… I don’t want to see it, so bye,” she said after her second-round win against Tatjana Maria at the 2024 US Open on Wednesday.

“… It was a thing. People got mad but I don’t really care. I’m not entitled to read negative things about myself, and just as you’re entitled to write that, I’m entitled to block it. It’s unfortunate. Obviously, the block can only do so much because people can make new accounts,” she continued.

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“Just for players, I don’t know. I just try not to read it as much or take it too personal, but it is getting to the point where, you know, I know that a lot of tournaments are trying to step in and have different Al things. I hope as technology increases, that can help.

“But it is tough, and you could be having a good day, and then somebody will literally tell you, ‘Oh, go kill yourself.’ You’re, like, Okay, thanks.

“I really hope that players just continue to not look at it and especially [French pro] Caroline [Garcia]. She’s a super nice girl. It sucks, but I hope people — I mean, I always say people can be more mindful and be kinder, but you know, millions of people have said that, and only a few listen. Hopefully, the Al stuff can help in the future.”

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Gauff was referring to Garcia, a US Open semifinalist in 2022, who opened up about getting harassed on social media after her first-round loss to Mexico’s Renata Zarazúa on Tuesday.

Garcia — ranked 30th in the world — said in a post on X that she received hundreds of negative messages online.

She included a few messages, including, “You are a piece of s–t” and “I hope your mom dies soon.”

In her press conference, Gauff said she didn’t see Garcia’s post on X, but had heard about it.

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“Obviously it’s tough. Especially when I was younger, I had no idea that this was a thing. I just thought at first like I was being targeted. Then I realized everybody was getting it,” Gauff said.

“It’s tough because you hear a lot of nasty things, and people, like, talk about your appearance, your family’s appearance, and all these things. If you are already struggling with your own mental issues and on top of that you have people digging deeper, it is tough.”

Gauff also admitted to having burner accounts, “so I don’t see any tennis” content.

“It kind of just depends on the platform,” she said. “Twitter, I’m not on. I only search one time after a match to see what people said about my outfit… TikTok, I’m on most of the time, but I also have a burner, so I don’t see any tennis.

“I’m on social media all the time, it’s just whether I’m on my actual account or not,” she said, laughing.

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