Gauff defends herself after her controversy in Beijing: "I'm not a cheater or a thief"

Coco Gauff has reasons to smile after qualifying for the round of 16 of the WTA Beijing after defeating Sun Xinran, the 16-year-old who was making waves in the tournament. However, in the first set of that match, the American tennis player stopped a point she was about to lose because the changing lights on the side screens had distracted her, which caused an uproar on social media and led to her being labeled a cheater, receiving racist insults and being forced to defend herself.

This new rule makes no sense. It happened to Zverev and now to Gauff. The lights on the fences change and the player is allowed to stop the game to replay the point. They are criticizing Coco because she stopped after the volley, where it is clear she was going to lose the point. Here, we need to complain about the rule, because it puts the player in a difficult position and opens up complaints about whether she is using it to her advantage.

— José Morón (@jmgmoron) October 5, 2026

A similar case happened to Zverev in his match against Novak Djokovic, where a point was replayed due to the changing lights on the fences. According to the rule, players can complain and the point is replayed, but in both cases, 'Sascha' and Gauff were exposed because it happened during points they were practically losing. Moreover, this occurred at 5-5 in the first set and 15-15 with Gauff serving, making it a critical moment in the match. This has led to racist insults directed at Gauff, who has had to defend herself on social media.

"Hello everyone: I may not be liked or you may disagree with what happened without being racist. The amount of racist comments and private messages I have received in the last few hours is crazy. Lastly, I am neither a cheater nor a thief," Gauff responded on her 'X' account to a user insulting her in a racist and derogatory manner, displaying unacceptable behavior towards someone who has always been exemplary, like Gauff.

Gauff explains the controversy with a long statement

Later, Coco issued a statement explaining what happened, clarifying that her course of action is correct according to the rule that has been explained to them and that, in any case, the regulation should be consulted instead of insulting her for adhering to what was previously told to them.

Hello everyone, let me explain:

1. I saw the light flicker at the beginning of the point, but I wasn't sure if I really saw that.

2. Before the matches, we are told that we are allowed to continue playing until the point is finished, so KEEP THIS IN MIND: I'm thinking about all of this while playing the point. Anything can be challenged once the point is over (as is the case in most sports, you can review a decision after the play has ended; personally, I think this is the correct rule). If I had lost the point, my opponent would also have been free to do the same and request a review, and she would have been completely within her rights to do so.

3. When it flickered again, I raised my hands before she hit her ball because that was when I was sure I had seen the light flicker and that it wasn’t my imagination, haha (which, again, doesn't matter because anything can be claimed after the point is over).

4. It was an unfortunate situation, but it was out of my control. The articles and comments that have been written calling me unfair are ridiculous when those are the rules. I didn't set them. I think it's strange that I'm being criticized for following the rules. Xinran is incredibly talented and is a great player. I apologized for the situation at the end of the match, and she understood perfectly. I didn't like seeing her so upset because I've been through that too and I completely understand what it feels like, but this is just the beginning of an amazing career. It was an honor to share the court with her in front of her audience.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Gauff se defiende tras su polémica en Pekín: "No soy una tramposa ni una ladrona"