The American world No. 4 was unrecognizable in Wednesday's match against Belgian Elise Mertens at the China Open WTA tournament.
Gauff's performance was lackluster, and she lost in straight sets, 3–6, 3–6. After the match, she said she was exhausted after receiving a large amount of racist abuse on social media following her victory over home player Sun Xinran in the previous round.
It's been draining, I'm not going to lie, said Gauff, adding that she is affected by what people write about her online.
When Gauff faced Xinran, she requested a video review at one point, drawing loud boos from the audience.
