Coco Gauff reached the semifinals of the Dubai Open earlier today, beating Alexandra Eala in front of a packed-out stadium.
The 21-year-old showed remarkable poise in the face of great adversity, overcoming not only a highly-skilled opponent, but a crowd that was completely against her too.
And, speaking afterwards, Gauff thanked Eala for what she continues to do for tennis, echoing that sentiment in her press conference.
However, that was not the only topic of conversation in her post-match interviews.
Coco Gauff would also touch on player privacy, raising the issue again following her well-documented frustration at the Australian Open.
Coco Gauff calls for the Australian Open to implement changes
Having been asked to speak about the topic that sparked a huge debate, even Gauff admitted she did not expect it to have had such widespread appeal.
She claimed: “Yeah, I definitely do think I didn’t expect it to reach — I knew it might circulate in tennis news. I felt like everywhere I was scrolling, it was me on there.
Do players need to be given more privacy at the Australian Open?
“I mean, at least I felt people weren’t being too rude to me about it. It was more starting the conversation. I felt it’s a conversation that has been on tour, maybe not tour, but at Slams for years, specifically Australian Open. I know Jess has spoke that Maddie has been trying for years. I know the players’ council has been trying for a while. So it is unfortunate it took that.
“Yeah, I felt like this Australian Open, it was just too much. There were people zooming in on people’s phones. It was just a lot. So I definitely think the conversation should be had.
“On top of that, there aren’t really many signs around. I think there should be signs. In this tournament I noticed signs ‘there’s broadcast in this area’. That’s helpful for us, because then I know where I need to go if I don’t want to be filmed.
“Yeah, it was even as little as like when I’m praying with my dad before the matches, I had to ask someone to not record. We do that before every match.”
Where will Coco Gauff be ranked at the end of the 2026 season?
Gauff had a few ideas for the Australian Open, and tennis in general, on how to solve these issues: “I definitely think it’s a conversation I would like specifically Australian Open to maybe respond to. My agency did send an email on my behalf to all the slams. They all responded pretty well. But it was really the Australian Open the only one I felt like it was too much.
“Sorry, I’m talking a lot. I’m glad the conversation started. We’ll see what changes will be made next year.”
What was the controversy with Coco Gauff at the Australian Open?
These latest claims come after the controversy that surrounded Gauff at the recent Australian Open, where player privacy was massively called into question.
After all, following her heavy defeat at the hands of Elina Svitolina, the American was justifiably frustrated.
However, she held herself together, exchanged handshakes, and waved to the crowd as she exited the court.
When seemingly safe in the bowels of the Rod Laver Arena, she unleashed that pent-up frustration on one of her rackets, which was sadly recorded by a nearby camera.
That footage was subsequently distributed all over social media, thus leading to this row over player privacy and the alarming lack of it.
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