Coco Gauff withdraws from Wuhan tournament after racist attacks
11 october 2026 в 14:50
Coco Gauff withdrew from the Wuhan Open following a wave of racist abuse on social media. The tennis player informed reporters on October 7 that it had been «quite exhausting».
Earlier this week, Gauff commented on a controversial incident during her match against Sun Xinyan at the China Open on October 5. During the game, she paused the match to complain about flashing LED advertisements, which upset some fans who claimed that Gauff intentionally stopped the game when 16-year-old Sun was in good form. Gauff won the match 7−5, 6−1.
In response to the racist comments she received after the match, Gauff tweeted: «You can dislike me or disagree with what happened without resorting to racism. The amount of racist comments and DMs I’ve received in the last few hours is insane».
In her next match, Gauff lost to Elise Mertens 6−3, 6−3, making 34 unforced errors and eight double faults. The organizers of the Wuhan Open later confirmed that Gauff had withdrawn from the tournament, which will take place from October 12 to 18. In her statement, she expressed regret about not being able to defend her title, saying: «After a long year, my body needs time to rest and recover. I look forward to coming back next year».
Gauff also acknowledged that she felt «a bit sluggish» and did not play well in the match against Mertens. Mertens confirmed that she noticed Gauff was not at her best and praised her as a player, noting that the match was challenging.
Gauff’s next tournament will be the Billie Jean King Cup, which will take place from November 21 to 22 in Delray Beach, Florida.
Earlier this week, Gauff commented on a controversial incident during her match against Sun Xinyan at the China Open on October 5. During the game, she paused the match to complain about flashing LED advertisements, which upset some fans who claimed that Gauff intentionally stopped the game when 16-year-old Sun was in good form. Gauff won the match 7−5, 6−1.
In response to the racist comments she received after the match, Gauff tweeted: «You can dislike me or disagree with what happened without resorting to racism. The amount of racist comments and DMs I’ve received in the last few hours is insane».
In her next match, Gauff lost to Elise Mertens 6−3, 6−3, making 34 unforced errors and eight double faults. The organizers of the Wuhan Open later confirmed that Gauff had withdrawn from the tournament, which will take place from October 12 to 18. In her statement, she expressed regret about not being able to defend her title, saying: «After a long year, my body needs time to rest and recover. I look forward to coming back next year».
Gauff also acknowledged that she felt «a bit sluggish» and did not play well in the match against Mertens. Mertens confirmed that she noticed Gauff was not at her best and praised her as a player, noting that the match was challenging.
Gauff’s next tournament will be the Billie Jean King Cup, which will take place from November 21 to 22 in Delray Beach, Florida.
© Artemenko Olga
