Coco Gauff is set to miss the final WTA 1000 tournament of the year after pulling out of the Wuhan Open following days of controversy and backlash.
The American tennis sensation announced that she would not compete at the tournament on Wednesday just two days after she was engulfed in a ‘cheating’ scandal at the China Open.
‘I’m disappointed to withdraw from Wuhan, especially as the defending champion. I always love playing there. After a long year, my body needs some time to rest and recover. I look forward to returning next year,’ Gauff wrote in a statement, via The Athletic.
The decision came as somewhat of a surprise with Gauff rarely missing one of the WTA 1000 events. The 10 tournaments are regarded just below the Grand Slams in terms of importance and all have been mandatory since 2024.
Missing one of the mandatory events without a valid excuse or approved exemption can carry hefty fines and a zero-point ranking penalty that counts toward a player’s ranking.
The world No 4’s decision comes after she was accused of cheating during her victory over home rival Sun Xinran at the China Open earlier this week.
Tennis star Coco Gauff is set to miss the final WTA 1000 tournament of the year
The American withdrew from the Wuhan Open following days of controversy and backlash
The two-time Grand Slam champion had been 5-4 down in her third-round tie in Beijing when she patted a straightforward volley over the net, which Sun charged up the court to send back for a winner.
But Gauff had thrown up her arms in complaint as the forehand sailed over her head, telling the chair umpire that she had been distracted by a sponsor change on the electronic advertising boards on both sides of the court.
With the point replayed, Gauff wrenched momentum from her opponent and steamrolled to victory over the 16-year-old.
Gauff later took to X to explain her reasoning, also replying to a racist comment that read ‘f*** you’ and then called her the n-word.
‘Hey everyone,’ Gauff replied, amplifying the comment. ‘You can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist.
‘The amount of racist comments/dms I’ve received in the last few hours is insane. Lastly, I’m not a cheater or a thief.’
Gauff received an outpouring of support from fans in the wake of the racist abuse on social media, which was later limited after violating X’s rules against hateful conduct.
In a separate post, Gauff attempted to quell the controversy by explaining her reason for stopping, citing a flicker at the beginning of the point which she admitted she wasn’t sure ‘if that is what I actually saw’.
Gauff was embroiled in a ‘cheating’ storm after stopping a point mid-rally at the China Open
Continuing, the former US Open champion wrote: ‘We are told before the matches we are allowed to continue to finish play so KEEP IT [in] MIND I am thinking about all this while I’m playing the point.
‘Anything can be challenged after the point is over (as in most sports you can review a call after the play is over, I personally think this is the correct rule). If I would’ve lost the point my opponent is also free to do the same thing and ask for a replay and she would’ve been completely in her right to do so.
‘When it flickered again I raised my hands before she hit her shot because this is when I was sure I saw the light flicker and it wasn’t my mind doing tricks lol (which again doesn’t matter because anything can be challenged after the point).
‘It was an unfortunate situation but it is out of my control, the think pieces and calling me unfair is ridiculous when those are the rules. I did not make them, I think it’s weird I’m getting hate for following the rules.
‘Xinran is [an] incredible talent and player, I apologized for the situation at the end of the match and she completely understood. I did not like to see her so emotional as I’ve been there and I really understand what it is like but this is just the beginning of an incredible career.’
Her victory over Sun set up a fourth-round matchup against No 19 Elise Mertens earlier on Wednesday. However, Gauff struggled in the early stages of the clash.
The US star was clearly physically hampered during the 6-3, 6-3 loss, even turning to her box in confusion.
Gauff was seen telling her camp with some concern at 4-1 in the second set that she didn’t know why she was so low on fighting spirit.
Gauff struggled in the early stages of her fourth-round matchup against No 19 Elise Mertens
‘I have no energy. I’m trying, I have no energy. I can’t see the ball, I feel like I’m going to pass out,’ she told the team in her player’s box. ‘I’m going to just try to finish the match.’
The 22-year-old was eventually downed in straight sets for the first time since February.
After the match, Gauff admitted that the events of the previous day had taken their toll.
‘It has been kind of draining, I’m not going to lie,’ she said. ‘I just turn off my phone and move on. There’s nothing you can do.
‘I think today I was just a bit flat. I just didn’t play well. I think I wasn’t moving well. There were a lot of things I didn’t do well.’
