“Outrageous To Call Coco Gauff A Cheat” – Serena Williams’ Coach Condemns Racist Abuse Against American At China Open

Serena Williams' coach, Rennae Stubbs, on Tuesday defended Coco Gauff after the American faced racist abuse online following a controversial point during the China Open.

Gauff defeated 16-year-old Sun Xinran in the third round of the tournament, but the match was overshadowed by a disputed hindrance call. Late in the first set, Gauff raised her hand and stopped playing during a rally, explaining that the electronic LED advertising boards around the court were flickering and distracting her.

Xinran appeared to hit a clean winner as Gauff stopped playing. However, after the chair umpire reviewed the incident and ordered the point to be replayed, Gauff won the replay and eventually secured the victory.

The decision sparked backlash on social media, with Gauff receiving racist messages and accusations of cheating. On "The Rennae Stubbs Podcast," Stubbs criticized the abuse and defended Gauff's decision to stop the rally.

"But if she lost the first set, would she have won the match? I don't know. But if there's a player that loses her first set and comes back and wins in three sets, I want to know more because Coco does it all the time. SHE also never complains. And I would argue that she might not have even lost that game if she lost that point. But the hate that she received on the internet was outrageous to call her a cheat," Stubbs said. (28:50 onwards)

She also added that Gauff was entitled to raise the issue with the umpire, although she questioned whether the American had noticed the flickering lights during earlier points.

"She had every right to be like, 'Hold on a second. I'm trying to reflex back this ball. The LED screens are flickering. This just can't keep going.' Whether I would like to know if she noticed it in the prior points, because if she had, she probably should have said something to the umpire. But she's well within her rights. Now, if she had lost that point, would she (HAVE) lost the first set? I don't know. Would she have won the first set? I don't know. We don't know." (28:17 onwards)

After the match, Coco Gauff addressed the controversy, rejecting accusations that she had cheated and expressing disappointment over the racist abuse she received online.

Coco Gauff received support from the UN Human Rights amid hate at the China Open

Coco Gauff received further support from the United Nations Human Rights Office after speaking out about the racist messages and hateful comments directed at her following the incident. In a post on X, the organization condemned the abuse and called on players, coaches, sports bodies and fans to stand against racism and sexism in sport:

"Racist messages such as those targeting #tennis player @CocoGauff online are appalling and illustrate that Black female athletes are specifically targeted for vitriol and racial abuse. There is no place in sport for racial or sexist slurs and abuse. Players, coaches, and sports bodies need to stand up for those facing such attacks, and fans need to push back against those who sully sport with racism and sexism."

Coco Gauff's China Open campaign ended on Oct. 7, when she lost to Elise Mertens. She is next scheduled to compete at the WTA Finals, which are set to run from Nov. 8 to 15.

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