"Death threats, racism, body shaming, it's exhausting" - Coco Gauff defends blocking spree post-WTA Finals loss to Iga Swiatek

Coco Gauff recently revealed the reason behind her decision to block some of the users who post negative comments about her.

Gauff, who recently lost to compatriot Jessica Pegula in straight sets in the semifinals of the 2023 WTA Finals, said that she only blocks people who are "negative and not my fans" and that she has to deal with daily harassment such as "death threats, racism, body shaming".

The 19-year-old, who won her first Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open, has been one of the most popular and promising players on the WTA tour, attracting millions of fans and followers. However, she also has to face the dark side of fame, as she often receives hateful and abusive messages from online trolls and critics.

On Sunday, November 5, Gauff engaged in an X (formerly Twitter) exchange with a user who asked her to unblock her fans and that they deserve better treatment.

"I only block people who are negative, not my fans," Gauff replied. "I don’t search for these pages. it comes on my timeline. when you deal with the daily harassment I deal with every single day. death threats, racism, body shaming. etc. it is exhausting. so I try my best to spare myself."

The American said that she tries to spare herself from the negativity by blocking those who send her negative comments such as "she sucked", "choke", "overhype", and "fluke".

""She sucked" "choke" "overhype" "fluke" and these I consider the nice negative comments. some of you forget I am a person behind the racquet. So yes even if it is slightly negative I block. Because my mental state cannot take it every hour of the day," Gauff wrote.

Gauff expressed appreciation for her true fans who support her and keep her going. She also said that Twitter (now X) is the "worst platform" and that she interacts more with her fans on other social media platforms.

"Reason why I stay active on socials is because of my fans. To see their nice comments and support. It keeps me going. Twitter is the worst platform. My fans on other socials know I interact with them. I even made a separate Tiktok account to interact with my supporters," Gauff added.

The user then wished her all the best in the future, to which Coco Gauff responded with gratitude.

"Thank you. I just don’t want that "I block my fans" narrative because that couldn’t be further from the truth. All the best to you," Coco Gauff continued.

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A look at Coco Gauff's performance in the 2023 WTA Finals

Coco Gauff at the 2023 WTA Finals

Coco Gauff had a decent run at the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico. She finished second in the Chetumal Group with a 2-1 record but lost in the semifinals to her doubles partner and compatriot Jessica Pegula.

Gauff started her campaign with a convincing 6-0, 6-1 win over Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur. However, she faced a familiar nemesis in her second round-robin match, Iga Swiatek, who had beaten her eight times in nine previous meetings. Gauff was unable to break the curse, as Swiatek dominated the first set 6-0 and held off a late comeback from the American in the second set 7-5.

The 19-year-old then faced reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in her final round-robin match. The American eventually prevailed, 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-3, becoming the first teenager to reach the last four of the tournament since Caroline Wozniacki in 2009.

In the semifinals, Coco Gauff faced Pegula, who had won all three of her group matches. The latter eventually won, 6-2, 6-1, ending Gauff’s hopes of winning the season-ending championship.

In doubles, the American pair lost the third round-robin to Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva in three sets, 6-3, 4-6, 8-10.