In the match, the umpire called for a point to be replayed that Xinran won because Gauff had stopped playing the point. This controversy produced an influx of racist comments sent to the Black American player. "Hey everyone, you can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist," Gauff said in a reply on X.
"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." These comments obviously and understandably impacted her mental health at the tournament. Ultimately, she lost in the next round to Elise Mertens.
"It has been kind of draining, I'm not going to lie," Gauff said about the comments and messages she's received, via ESPN. "I just turn off my phone and move on. There's nothing you can do." On Wednesday, Gauff announced that she would be withdrawing from the Wuhan Open, set to start on Monday, Oct. 12.
She is the reigning champion there, but she cited exhaustion from her week at the China Open as the reason behind her decision. I always love playing there," Gauff said in a statement. "After a long year, my body needs some time to rest and recover.
I look forward to returning next year." There's a chance Gauff's withdrawal will impact her world ranking significantly. The Wuhan Open is a WTA 1000-level event, and the 10 events held at this level each year are mandatory for top-ranked players. As the world No. 4, Gauff would be required to play unless she had a valid excuse or approved exemption.
Unfortunately, her citing exhaustion isn't seen as a valid excuse. She could be fined for her withdrawal, and she'll earn zero points towards her ranking. She'll also lose the 1,000 points she earned from winning the Wuhan Open last year as the year-mark will hit.
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