Coco Gauff had never lost to Elise Mertens in five previous tennis matches prior to a defeat on Wednesday in the China Open.
Gauff’s fourth-round loss to Mertens in straight sets came after she was subjected to racial and verbal abuse online, including being called the n-word multiple times, due to controversy about her win over Chinese player Sun Xinran in the previous round of China Open.
The abuse clearly took a toll on Gauff, who complained to her team while she was losing to Mertens in the second set on Wednesday, according to The Athletic.
“I have no energy. I’m trying, I have no energy,” Gauff said during the match. “I can’t see the ball, I feel like I’m going to pass out.”
Mertens was already ahead 6-3, 4-1 in the match at the time of Gauff’s comments toward her team that was seated in the stands, and the Belgian player went on to finish off Gauff 6-3, 6-3 to advance in the China Open.
Gauff had expended energy between the end of her win over Sun on Monday and the start of her loss to Mertens on Wednesday defending herself from critics.
The Black American tennis star was attacked online after she stopped playing in the middle of a point during her first set against the 16-year-old Sun, who had support from the local crowd in Beijing.
Gauff stopped play because the electronic advertising boards on the side of the tennis court were flickering, causing a distraction. The point, which was initially won by Sun prior to Gauff’s protest, was eventually replayed and won by Gauff instead.
By rule, as Gauff explained in a comment on Instagram to defend herself following the match, she was allowed to contest the point due to the advertising board malfunction. She could have also waited until after the point was finished to contest it, but either way it would have ultimately been replayed.
“It was an unfortunate situation but it is out of my control,” Gauff wrote, “the think pieces and calling me an unfair is ridiculous when those are the rules. I did not make them, I think it’s weird I’m getting hate for following the rules.
“Xinran is incredible talent and player, I apologized for the situation at the end of the match and she completely understood. 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. It was an honor to share the court in front of her home crowd.”
Gauff also replied to a X user @HHuotui, who was repeatedly using the N-word to refer to her in multiple hateful tweets.
“Hey everyone, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist,” Gauff replied. “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.”
After Gauff lost to Mertens on Wednesday, she admitted that the abuse she experienced after her win over Sun had affected her energy level.
“It has been kind of draining, I’m not going to lie,” Gauff told reporters when asked if the abusive comments had affected her, per ESPN. “I just turn off my phone and move on. There’s nothing you can do.”
Gauff was also scheduled to defend her 2025 title at the Wuhan Open starting next Monday, but she withdrew from that tournament following her loss at the China Open.
“I’m disappointed to withdraw from Wuhan, especially as the defending champion,” Gauff said in a statement. “I always love playing there. After a long year, my body needs some time to rest and recover. I look forward to returning next year.”
