"I'll spend 30 minutes blocking all people" - Coco Gauff reveals her approach of shutting off "nasty" remarks amid Caroline Garcia's abuse revelation

Hours after Caroline Garcia spoke about the hate she received on the internet upon crashing out of the 2024 US Open, Coco Gauff revealed her approach to shutting off "nasty" remarks. Gauff talked about it in her press conference after her second-round win over Germany's Tatjana Maria on Wednesday, August 28.

Garcia, who lost 6-1, 6-4 to Renata Zarazua in the first round, took to X (formerly Twitter) a couple of days ago and shared gut-wrenching messages sent to her on media after the loss.

The Frenchwoman expressed her concern for younger players, who could be dealing with similar hate mail, and requested the online community to discontinue the onslaught.

After Coco Gauff won on Wednesday, the press asked her to reflect on the Garcia situation and how she handled the naysayers as the youngster who took up professional tennis at the age of 14. She replied:

"I didn't see her post, but they briefed me about it. Obviously, it's tough. Especially when I was younger, I had no idea that this was a thing. I just thought at first like I was being targeted. Then I realized everybody was getting it."

"You hear a lot of nasty things, and people, like, talk about your appearance, your family's appearance, and all these things. If you are already struggling with your own mental issues and on top of that you have people digging deeper, it is tough."

Further, the World No. 3 noted that she simply resorts to blocking users who write negative things about her.

"I personally just block. I will literally spend 30 minutes blocking all the people. I really don't care. It was a thing, people got mad. I was like, 'I don't really care, I'm not entitled to read negative things about myself, just as you're entitled to write that, I'm entitled to block it.' Obviously, the block can only do so much. People make new accounts," Gauff added.

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Coco Gauff: "I just try not to read it as much or take it too personally"

Coco Gauff (Getty)

In the same press conference in Flushing Meadows, Coco Gauff stated that she avoids reading criticism online as much as she can.

"I just try not to read it as much or take it too personally, but it is getting to the point where... it is tough, and you could be having a good day, and then somebody will literally tell you, 'Oh, go kill yourself'," she said.

She advised her colleagues to do the same, saying:

"I really hope that players just continue to not look at it and especially Caroline. She's a super nice girl. I hope people can be more mindful and be kinder, but millions of people have said that, and only a few listen."

Notably, Coco Gauff will next take the court against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in the third round of the 2024 US Open. Svitolina defeated compatriot Anhelina Kalinina 6-1, 6-2 in the previous round.