“Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff Reveal Shocking Truth About Online Hate in Tennis!”

**Jessica Pegula Addresses Online Abuse: “They’re All Crazy, But It Hurts When My Family Sees It

Jessica Pegula, the world No. 6 tennis player, has shared her experience with online abuse, stating that while she doesn’t take the comments to heart, she’s deeply concerned about how they affect her loved ones. Pegula revealed that although she doesn’t personally manage her social media, she’s aware of the vile messages, including death threats, that flood her Instagram page.

“Honestly, I don’t really care because I know they’re all crazy,” Pegula said. “But I feel bad when my grandparents or anyone close to me sees the horrible comments. My social media manager was worried about the amount of negative messages I get. I laughed it off because, sadly, it’s become normal to me. But she was really concerned, especially about the death threats.”

Pegula’s comments come amid broader discussions about online abuse in tennis, sparked by Caroline Garcia’s recent disclosure of the disturbing messages she received after losing in the first round of the US Open. One critic even went as far as to suggest Garcia “consider killing herself.”

Garcia, now 30, shared her thoughts on the issue, expressing concern for younger players who may be more vulnerable to the hate they encounter online. “Although they still hurt, because at the end of the day, I’m just a normal girl working really hard and trying my best, I have tools and have done work to protect myself from this hate,” Garcia wrote. “But still, this is not ok. It really worries me when I think about younger players coming up, who might be more affected by this hate. Maybe you can think that it doesn’t hurt us. But it does. We are humans.”

In light of Garcia’s revelations, several top players, including Pegula, have been asked to comment on the issue.

**Coco Gauff’s Approach to Online Hate**

While many players choose to avoid reading what’s said about them online, Pegula’s close friend and fellow American tennis star, Coco Gauff, takes a different approach. Gauff, now ranked No. 3 in the world, prefers to read everything that is said about her on social media, although she has developed her own method of coping.

Reflecting on her early experiences with online criticism, Gauff shared that it didn’t take long for her to encounter harsh comments when she first rose to prominence in 2019. However, she has since accepted that such negativity is, unfortunately, a part of life on the Tour.

“I didn’t see [Garcia’s] post, but they briefed me about it. Obviously it’s tough,” Gauff said. “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. It’s tough because you hear a lot of nasty things, and people 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.”

Gauff, however, has a firm policy: anyone who sends her hate or insults her gets blocked immediately, ensuring they won’t get a second chance to upset her.

As online abuse in tennis continues to be a hot topic, Pegula and Gauff’s contrasting approaches highlight the different ways players are forced to navigate the toxic side of social media.