At just 22, Coco Gauff is one of the era's most accomplished tennis players. At the same time, Gauff is known for overcoming adversity.
She is currently competing in the 2026 China Open. On Monday, Gauff defeated 16-year-old home favorite Sun Xinran 7-5, 6-1. However, the match had a controversial moment during the first set. With Xinran leading 5-4, Gauff was serving at 15-15.
Afterward, Gauff said that she had received racist hate on social media, per ESPN.
“Hey everyone, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist,” Gauff, who is Black, said in a reply on X. “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.”
“Xinran is [an] incredible talent and player, I apologized for the situation at the end of the match and she completely understood,” Gauff added in another post.
Additionally, Gauff celebrated Xinran in another post.
“I did not like to see her so emotional as I've been there and I really understand what it is like but this is just the beginning of an incredible career,” Gauff said. “It was an honor to share the court in front of her home crowd.”
Throughout her career, Gauff has been outspoken on issues of race.