Coco Gauff lost the game in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and then lost her nerve.Bild: www.imago-images.de
Coco Gauff failed in the Australian Open quarter-finals and was filmed destroying her racket behind the scenes. Now the American and other stars are defending themselves against the many cameras.
28.01.2026, 13:4328.01.2026, 13:43
Coco Gauff only won three games in the Australian Open quarterfinals against Ukrainian Elina Switolina. The world number 3 wandered around the Rod Laver Arena after the end, looking for a place where she could have a moment to herself. When the 21-year-old was unobserved, she smashed her racket. However, she just thought that she couldn’t be seen here: a camera was on it and Gauff’s freak out quickly spread.
Coco Gauff releases her frustrations after a disappointing defeat in the Australian Open quarter-finals đź’Ą pic.twitter.com/4Ur9jlxR0P
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) January 27, 2026
Coco Gauff destroys her racket.
This is now causing further dissatisfaction among Gauff. From their point of view, it is not necessary for the stars at the big tournaments to always be surrounded by cameras. Because she didn’t want to be a bad role model for the children, the two-time Grand Slam winner specifically looked for a place where she supposedly couldn’t be seen. “Maybe we should talk about it. I have the feeling that the only private place in this tournament is the locker room,” said Gauff at the press conference after the game.
When asked about the scene, the Polish woman Iga Swiatek was also frustrated by the many cameras: “The question is: Are we tennis players? Or are we zoo animals?” She cites positive examples such as Wimbledon, where there are places where only players and their teams can go.
Iga Swiatek sides with Gauff.Bild: keystone
But there are tournaments where something like that is not possible. “We should be watched on the pitch and in the press. That’s our job,” Swiatek clarifies, but adds: “It’s not our job to be a meme if you forget your accreditation.” The world number 2 had forgotten her access card a few days ago and was filmed waiting for it. «Yes, that’s funny, people have something to talk about. But I don’t think that’s necessary for us,” says Swiatek.
Gauff also received encouragement from compatriot Jessica Pegula, who compared the situation to “Big Brother” and described it as “crazy”. Serena Williams also stood behind Gauff and joked: “If you want, I’ll show you how to smash the racket in one shot.” (riz)
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