World No. 2 Coco Gauff recently spoke about the abusive social media messages targeting her, her family, and her boyfriend. Her revelation came just days after the WTA released a report highlighting the widespread online abuse faced by players.
The growing wave of social media abuse targeting tennis players has become a serious concern. Like many of her peers, Gauff is no stranger to such messages, including death threats, derogatory comments, and harassment.
What Has Coco Gauff Revealed About Online Abuse Targeting Her and Her Family?
The WTA and ITF (International Tennis Federation) released a report on Tuesday revealing that over 8,000 posts and comments from 4,200 social media accounts were flagged as abusive, violent, or threatening. The report further noted that 40% of the abuse originated from angry gamblers, while 77% was direct personal abuse.
“Everyone – betting operators, social media platforms, governing bodies, players and law enforcers – has a responsibility to make the online space a safer and more positive one.”
Findings from the first season-wide report reveal the scale of abuse players face on social media.
— wta (@WTA) June 17, 2025
In an interview with DW, Gauff stated that she and her family and her boyfriend, Jelen Sera, have received death threats and experienced racial abuse on social media. Gauff recently confirmed her relationship with Sera in a promotional video for the audio company BOSE.
“It’s the worst you can get. Death threats to your family, to yourself. I’ve had people DM [direct message] 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,” she said.
Gauff later emphasized the need for continued awareness, urging social media platforms to address such disturbing and abusive comments.
“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,” she added.
Gauff added that TikTok filters abusive comments more effectively, while Instagram doesn’t.
“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,” she added.
Notably, Gauff has highlighted how angry online gamblers, frustrated by her losses, often target her with abusive and disturbing messages.
Coco Gauff Suggests ‘Banning Abusers With the Same Phone Number or Email’ as a Solution
Later in the interview, Gauff emphasized the need to ban such abusive social media accounts. The 21-year-old suggested that platforms block accounts tied to the same phone number or email to prevent offenders from creating new profiles.
“For me, it’s more about banning these accounts and banning people with the same phone number or email from making new accounts. You can block [them], but they just go and make a new account. There has to be a way to fix that system,” she said.
On the tennis front, Gauff shifted her focus to the grass-court swing after a phenomenal run on clay that ended with a triumph at the 2025 French Open. The American, seeded second at the Berlin Tennis Open, will face China’s Wang Xinyu in the second round on Thursday, Jun. 20.
