Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
New York Post
How Coco Gauff deals with ‘nasty’ online harassment
By Jenna Lemoncelli,
4 hours ago
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.
Coco Gauff talked about the negative messages she’s received online after her second-round win against Tatjana Maria at the 2024 US Open on August 28, 2024. YouTube
“… 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.
“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.”
Caroline Garcia, of France, returns a shot to Renata Zarazua, of Mexico, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in New York. AP
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.”
This are some of the messages I received lately after loosing some matches. Just a few of them. There’s hundreds. And now, being 30 years old, although they still hurt, because at the end of the day, I’m just a normal girl working really hard and trying my best, I have tools and… pic.twitter.com/q4djrfLfx9
“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.”
Coco Gauff is moving on to the third round of the US Open. AFP via Getty Images
“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.
For the latest in sports, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/sports/
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0