Like many others, Coco Gauff received regular hate on social media but she's not concerned about it opting to use it mainly as fuel.
Tennis players regularly deal with online harassment, but it peaks amid a run of poor performances. Gauff didn't experience many of these periods this year, so at the WTA Finals in Forth Worth, she will compete in both the singles and doubles events.
Even if it doesn't disturb her too much, Gauff has come up with a strategy to deal with the hate that continues flowing.
"I usually don't go on my phone after losses, and sometimes I do. It doesn't really bother me, to be honest" explained Gauff using that as fuel:
"If anything, it motivates me more. But it just depends on the athlete and the person. Some people take it to heart. For me, not so much. Also, I feel like I've become desensitized to it because I've been getting it now for four years."
It's something every tennis player has to deal with but learning how to do so effectively is different for different people.
"When you lose, you expect to get a lot of hate messages. I think you just have to kind of figure out what works best for you," Coco Gauff said. "Yeah, I think it's something that athletes shouldn't have to deal with, but unfortunately we do. I think you have to find a method that works best for you" concluded Gauff.
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