Defending US Open champion Coco Gauff says she blocks cyberbullies on social media amid player concern

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Defending U.S. Open Champion Coco Gauff has a simple fix to the seemingly overwhelming issue of cyberbullying: the block button. 

After her second-round victory over Tatjana Maria Wednesday, Gauff was asked about the topic after French tennis player Caroline Garcia posted a lengthy message on social media about bullying athletes face and the impact it has on their mental health. 

Caroline Garcia in action during the first round of the U.S. Open Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in New York.  (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

She included several "hate" messages she received. 

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"[These] are some of the messages I received lately after losing some matches. Just a few of them," Garcia wrote on X. "There’s hundreds. And now, being 30 years old, although they still hurt, because at the end of the day, I’m just a normal girl working really hard and trying my best, I have tools and have done work to protect myself from this hate. But still, this is not ok.

"It really worries me when I think about younger players coming up, that have to go through this. People that still haven’t yet developed fully as a human and that really might be affected by this hate.

"Maybe you can think that it doesn’t hurt us. But it does. We are humans. And sometimes, when we receive this messages we are already emotionally destroyed after a tough loss. And they can be damaging. Many before me have raised the subject. And still, no progress has been made. 

Gauff said she was briefed about the post and agreed with her point. 

Coco Gauff in action during a second-round match of the U.S. Open Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP