Coco Gauff joins calls for clampdown on social media abuse: ‘It’s the worst you can get’
Coco Gauff has called for social media websites to “step in” and tackle online abuse as she revealed she had repeatedly been sent threatening and racist messages.
The issue of online abuse has grown dramatically in recent months and has attracted further attention in recent weeks following a BBC Sport interview with WTA Tour star Katie Boulter.
World No 39 Boulter opened about the threatening and insulting messages that she had received, particularly after her recent second-round loss at the French Open.
In recent weeks, the likes of Jessica Pegula and Gael Monfils have also spoken out about online abuse, while Carlos Alcaraz feared his concerns when asked about the issue at the Queen’s Club.
“I’m not going to mention exactly some of the messages I’ve received, but they are very heavy and some even scare you,” said Alcaraz, in quotes reported by Punto de Break.
“Obviously, when you lose, you receive a lot of messages. Some are quite good; others, quite bad. I prefer not to think about it.”
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One of the highest-profile athletes across tennis and the wider sporting world, Gauff has unfortunately been a frequent target for social media abuse.
And, speaking ahead of her Berlin Tennis Open campaign, the American detailed the horrifying comments that she had found herself dealing with.
“It’s the worst you can get. Death threats, to your family, to yourself,” commented the world No 2.
“I’ve had people DM my boyfriend and friends about it. Racist comments, like all you can imagine. Nudity, things like that. It’s a gross kind of thing that we have going on in tennis.
“It’s something that we have to keep bringing awareness to. I would love for some of the social media platforms to get involved, not only when it comes to tennis players. Influencers, other athletes, they all get these comments, so it’s something that can be addressed.
“I know the WTA is doing what they can to make us feel protected, but I definitely think that a lot of these platforms can step in as well.
“I think TikTok does a better job of filtering comments, so you don’t really see it. But Instagram is, for me, the worst with the comment filtering.
“I see basically everything on there. I try to do it on my own account, to filter certain words, but people get creative and spell it out in different ways.”
Gauff’s comments come following the release of a damning joint report from the WTA and ITF, highlighting the scale of online abuse within tennis.
The report showcased that 40% of online abuse was connected to online gambling, with 97% of abusive messages sent by just 23% of accounts connected to abusive comments.
It was also revealed that five WTA Tour players receive a shocking 26% of the abuse directed at all players on the tour.
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