“Just because you are typing it, doesn’t mean you are not saying it.” That is what Andy Roddick led with when talking about the recent racist abuse that has been directed towards Coco Gauff. The former World No. 1 held nothing back in a rant about the vile trolls who had targeted the 22-year-old since her China Open match against Xinran Sun, but as for solutions, Roddick’s proposal challenges the existing social media habits of high-profile tennis players.

“Right. If it’s you, you have to choose not to do it,” said Roddick on his podcast , ‘Served with Andy Roddick’. “I mean, Techie Sean and I were talking about this before we came on air, and it’s like, how do you have a relationship with it if it goes that far and it affects you that much? You have to create boundaries. Mhm. Like, and you know, you do have to choose to pick it up, and it’s not fair to say she shouldn’t do that because of who she is and what she does.”

While Roddick’s suggestions come from the best intentions for Gauff, they’re easier said than done for the American. If one visits Gauff’s Instagram account, the second post in the carousel is of a Vogue magazine cover. This tells everything about the current ecosystem, where players are obligated to share all their commercial collaborations, photoshoots, and brand endorsements on their social media accounts.

Gauff is one of the most high-profile players in the world, and the American is associated with top brands such as New Balance, Bose, Rolex, and Head. Whenever she is wearing a new kit from New Balance or doing a promotional event for Bose, Gauff has to be visible on social media, posting and tagging the brands in question to boost visibility and reach.

Roddick’s suggestion of staying away might not be feasible in the current scenario, but his idea of using a third party to manage Gauff’s social media accounts might have merit. It is an accepted practice among prominent athletes across sports, and other tennis stars have also used the facility. While Aryna Sabalenka has a dedicated social media manager to handle her accounts, Carlos Alcaraz has IMG management, along with his agent, Albert Molina, who monitor and track daily social media activity on his accounts.

“But I think that’s the reality of, like, if I’m moving forward, you know, you just have to, like, maybe someone else is running it, and it’s like, people are going to be…” said Roddick on his podcast. “Well, this just feels like corporate speak; someone’s running your account.”

On the other hand, players like Sabalenka and Eva Lys have spoken about how social media has helped them find a place of rest where they can escape from the rigors of the Tour life. Someone like Sabalenka has faced a lot of criticism lately for having an active social life. Gauff is fairly active on social media as well, often sharing what she is up to off-court, which endears her to fans even more.

However, some players have prominently talked about staying away from the cesspool of abuse on social media. Iga Swiatek had led a life without the likes of X and Instagram on her phone, a decision that the Pole had to change once she became the face of the WTA and World No. 1. Even during the events, she has often been explicit about not being active on her accounts to focus on the match at hand.

Someone like Naomi Osaka has also spoken about deleting social media apps after facing tough losses on court. Back in 2024, the four-time Major champion confessed to distancing herself from social media, as she felt prioritizing her mental health was as important as safeguarding her physical health.

Judging by the pros and cons, Roddick’s suggestions might help Gauff in the short term, but they do not help make people more responsible on social media. The former World No. 1 also pointed out that the abuse had already affected Gauff and that the two-time Major champion needed a change.

The Abuse Affected Coco Gauff in Her Next Match and in Her Next Scheduling Decision

After all the abuse that Gauff had received from online trolls after her match against Sun in Beijing, the American was clearly out of sorts in her next match against Elise Mertens. The American struggled with her body in the match, but was candid enough to admit that the social media storm had affected her.

“Kind of draining, I’m not going to lie,” said Gauff in a post-match interview. “I just turn off my phone and move on. I mean, there’s nothing you can do.”

That is what Roddick picked up on as well. The former World No. 1 pointed out the changes that Gauff was making in response to the comments, which were not meager, as the American decided to skip the Wuhan Open to give herself a reset, despite being the defending champion and dropping 1000 points from her ranking.

“You put in as many guardrails as possible,” said Roddick on the podcast. “And you know, this isn’t, what’s messed up about what I’m about to say is that Coco’s adjusting her behavior because of filth.”

As for Roddick, the former World No.1 had previously spoken out against the partnership of prominent tennis events with gambling companies, as gambling remains one of the major causes of the social media abuse that players get.