"Would you say this if she weren't Black?" - Coco Gauff fans accuse journalist of being 'racist' with 'disgusting' Victoria Mboko question

After Coco Gauff faced a Round of 16 defeat against Victoria Mboko at the National Bank Open, she was asked whether she saw her younger self in the Canadian tennis sensation. This garnered infuriated reactions from fans as they felt such a question was discriminatory and only based on skin color.

Coco Gauff, the reigning French Open champion, ended her Wimbledon dreams early in the wake of a shock first-round exit. Despite that, to continue finding her form on the grass season, she graced the National Bank Open in Montreal and posted wins over Danielle Collins and Veronica Kudermetova to reach the pre-quarterfinals against budding tennis star, Victoria Mboko.

Following her last 16-loss against the Canadian player on Sunday, the 21-year-old was asked whether she recognized herself in her younger counterpart in the post-match press conference. Dismissing comparisons and how it would weigh Mboko down with expectations, Gauff said:

"No, she's a completely different player, completely different person. I've never been one to compare myself to others, whether it be like people comparing me to Serena or Venus, and I don't think it's fair to put that on her as well."

While Gauff responded to the journalist maturely, her fans online didn't find the question respectful since it sounded racially motivated and based solely on skin color. One fan bluntly suggested that the American should have hushed them instead, saying:

"She should just have said "Would you say this if she wasn't black?" to hush them"

An X user wished to know whether Mirra Andreeva also faces the same in her interviews.

"disgusting question!! do you ask mirra if she sees herself in sharapova or serena???"

Another fan echoed the sentiments and condemned the tennis interviewers as 'racist'.

"That sounds kind of racist. They're only comparing the two of them because they're black."

A Gauff fan expressed that it was 'idiotic' for the interviewers to ask such a thing.

"Why compare her? Do they ever ask this about her other opponents? Just because she has the same skin color.... idiotic."

Another fan said:

"not all the black players see themselves in each"

A fan felt that tennis reporters feel entitled to ask something like that.

"Horrible question. . .its like journalists have a right to be rude and condescending."

Coco Gauff opined on Victoria Mboko's ball-striking finesse and hailed her support system

Coco Gauff and Mboko at the WTA 1000 National Bank Open presented by Rogers - Day 7 - (Source: Getty)

Coco Gauff, the two-time Grand Slam champion, was defeated by Mboko in straight sets in the WTA hardcourt event. Despite the loss, she praised her opponent's qualities and also felt good that the latter had a strong support system accompanying her to the tournament. Talking about her opponent in the post-match press conference, Gauff said:

"She's very athletic. She's a great ball striker, and she seems pretty positive out there on the court, doesn't get really too negative. I don't know her too well, but I've gotten to talk to her a little bit over the course since Rome. I think she has a great support system around her, and I think that's important when you're young and on tour. Yeah, hopefully we have many more battles, and I look forward to playing her again in the future."

Then-20-year-old Coco Gauff was the youngest female flag bearer in the opening ceremony at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She currently stands at No. 2 in the WTA women's singles rankings.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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Edited by Sumeet Kavthale