Tennis Star Coco Gauff Speaks Out After Racket Smashing Moment At Australian Open Goes Viral: The Only Private Place We Have Is The Locker Room

Coco Gauff

Tennis Star Coco Gauff Speaks Out After Racket Smashing Moment At Australian Open Goes Viral: The Only Private Place We Have Is The Locker Room

#CocoGauff appears to be calling for change in the tennis community.

After a 6-1, 6-2 quarterfinal loss to Elina Svitolina at the #AustralianOpen, Coco Gauff expressed frustration not just about her performance, but also about how a private moment of anger was captured and shared. Coco, who is ranked No. 3 in the world, tried to find a secluded area behind Rod Laver Arena to vent by hitting her racket against a concrete ramp, believing it was away from cameras, but footage of the smash was broadcast and quickly went viral on social media. Speaking to the press later about the incident, Coco said she made the choice to break her racket away from the court so as not to take her frustration out on her team or show it in front of the fans.

Coco also openly criticised the tournament’s broadcast decisions, drawing a comparison to a similar situation at the #USOpen. “I kind of have a thing with the broadcast. I feel like certain moments – the same thing happened to Aryna [Sabalenka] after I played her in the final of the US Open – I feel like they don’t need to broadcast.” Coco continued, “I tried to go somewhere where they wouldn’t broadcast it, but obviously they did. Maybe some conversations can be had, because I feel like at this tournament the only private place we have is the locker room.”

Many have since come to Coco’s defense, agreeing that it’s time to have an honest conversation about player privacy and how emotional moments are handled by broadcasters during major tournaments.

ESPN