I understand racial harassment is horrible, but that shouldn't be used as a reason not to play well. The people feeling threatened used race to stress her. Winning is the best revenge. But I understand it's easier said than done. They are both awesome players.

What "just play through it" asks of a person

Coco Gauff, the 20-year-old American world No. 3 and reigning US Open champion, described the volume of racial abuse she received after her match against 16-year-old Sun Xinran as "insane." This wasn't a handful of cruel comments. It was a coordinated wave, timed to a moment when a replayed point had already inflamed a hostile crowd. The match was stressful. The aftermath, on social media, was its own separate event.

The "winning is the best revenge" frame is true over a career. Serena Williams lived it for two decades. But it assumes the player can compartmentalize in the middle of a tournament, in a country where the abuse is in a language they understand less, from an audience that has decided they are the villain. That is a specific and heavy ask, and it sits on top of weeks of hard travel, matches, and recovery.

Osaka brings a different kind of history

Naomi Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion, has been public about the fact that mental health pressure has ended her seasons before. Her withdrawal from Wuhan follows the same pattern: she knows her own warning signs, and she acts on them. That self-knowledge is not weakness. It is the reason she is still competing at the highest level at all.

The longer view

Both players have the talent and the records to back up exactly what you said: they are both awesome players. Gauff has already proven she can absorb pressure and win on the biggest stages. Osaka has four majors. The people sending abuse online will not be remembered. These two will.

The harder truth is that no athlete, no matter how mentally strong, runs on unlimited reserves. Pulling out of Wuhan was a decision to protect what matters most, the rest of the season and the years beyond it, rather than grind through one more hardcourt week on fumes. That is not avoiding the fight. That is choosing which fights are worth the cost.