A controversial replay point, a wave of hostile messages, and a draining round-of-16 loss to Elise Mertens made for a difficult stretch for Coco Gauff at the China Open. The American even admitted that she felt like she was going to pass out at one point. Since then, Gauff has withdrawn from Wuhan, but Serena Williams’ former coach Rennae Stubbs doesn’t believe fatigue is behind the decision.

The story began on Monday in Gauff’s third-round match against 16-year-old wildcard Xinran Sun. Serving to stay in the first set at 4-5, Gauff challenged the point after Sun hit a winner, saying the advertising screens around the court had changed their display. A video review backed her, the point was replayed, and Gauff went on to win 7-5, 6-1. Afterwards, she received numerous racist comments and messages online. She also answered one of them directly, writing that people could dislike her or disagree with the call without being racist. 

Stubbs used a Substack essay titled “The Sport We Say We Love” to defend her. “If any player has carried herself with class and sportsmanship in this game, it’s Coco Gauff,” Stubbs wrote. 

She argued that asking for the review was a normal use of a player’s rights. She also pointed to Alexander Zverev, who had been granted a replay against Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals a day earlier. That ruling drew its own criticism, with Djokovic calling it one of the “most stupid rule changes” he had ever heard, so the rule itself remains up for debate. For Stubbs, however, the rule was never the real issue, her anger was aimed at the reaction.

She classified the abuse by source, identifying gamblers who were angry at losing their bets, partisans who believe that there is a conspiracy in every call, and accounts that just reflect the loudest voices. 

“It’s racism, plain and simple, and it has no place in any sport,” she wrote. Her main message was that this abuse does not remain online as the player carries that burden to their next game. Wednesday, in her opinion, provided the proof.

Wednesday showed how little Gauff had left in the tank physically and mentally

Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to her Belgian opponent, an opponent she had beaten in all five of their previous meetings. She committed 34 unforced errors against 11 for Mertens and hit eight double faults against two. Trailing 4-1 in the second set, she told her team she had “no energy” and could not see the ball. It was her earliest exit in Beijing, where she had reached the semifinals on all three previous appearances. It was also her first straight-sets defeat since February.

Asked about the messages afterwards, Gauff called them “kind of draining” and said she turns off her phone and moves on. That calm tone makes the scoreline more striking, since her reputation rests on handling pressure better than most.

Hours later, the Wuhan Open announced that its defending champion had withdrawn. Stubbs said the decision was made because of the abuse, while Gauff’s own statement was more generic, stating that her body is in need of rest and recovery after an extended year. Both can be true, as she looked visibly depleted and has been very open about the impact of the week. The withdrawal will cost her 1,000 points from last year’s title. 

The WTA said it was appalled by the abuse, was in contact with Gauff to offer support, and was seeking action against the content. Stubbs’ essay and that response imply the inner circle of the sport wishes to see the discussion extend beyond whether the point should have been replayed. Gauff now has time to rest before the WTA Finals in Indian Wells.