Coco Gauff’s Australian Open dreams went up in smoke against Elina Svitolina.
Winning just three games, Gauff lost to Svitolina, 1-6, 2-6, in the Australian Open quarterfinals.
After the match, Gauff was caught smashing her racket backstage.
The incident prompted discussions around player privacy at the Australian Open.
Do players need to be given more privacy at the Australian Open?
Some fans did, however, suggest that Gauff should simply have smashed her racket in the locker room, where there are no cameras.
Her fellow American, Jessica Pegula, has now explained why that option wasn’t viable.
Jessica Pegula says it would have been ‘awkward’ if Coco Gauff smashed her racket in the locker room
During the latest episode of ‘The Player’s Box Podcast‘, Pegula delivered her verdict on the incident.
“I saw the comments like ‘why wouldn’t she just go to the locker room,” said Pegula.
“But why would you go to the locker room and do that?
“It would have been so awkward.
“But where are you going to do that? It’s carpet. Are you going to smash it into a locker and smash it? There are people in there! No!
“You are trying to have a moment to yourself.
“You don’t go into the locker room and then make everyone else uncomfortable because you are having a mini meltdown.
“You are entitled to do that in your own space.”
Madison Keys was also keen to share her thoughts.
Are you worried about Coco Gauff in 2026?
“I don’t have too much of an issue with the cameras in certain places. I think they are really great for content, and I think they really show personalities. I just think that there should be a few more places where you do have some privacy,” said Keys.
“Obviously, Coco not wanting to smash a racket on court and trying to find a space that is private that she can go and have a post-match melt, which I think everyone is very entitled to.
“I think there should be some safe spaces on site where there are no cameras, and there is a hard surface where you could smash a racket.”
Keys and Pegula aren’t the only Americans to have commented on the debate, as Taylor Fritz also shared his thoughts on Gauff’s racket smash.
“That area where they showed Coco [Gauff] breaking her racket, I know exactly where that is,” he said.
“I had no clue there was a camera there, no idea.
“Obviously, she went there specifically because she didn’t think there was a camera there either.
“So I think in situations like that, they probably shouldn’t show it.”
The good news for Gauff is that the Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley seemed willing to listen to the players and make changes for 2027.
“The first thing that we do, we want to listen to the players, we want to really understand what their needs are and what they want, so that’s the first question we will ask,” he said.
“We’ve heard you, and we’ll go with whatever adjustments we need to make.”
Only time will tell if and what the Australian Open will change ahead of the 2027 tournament.
Coco Gauff prepares for WTA Tour return
Gauff will play her first match since Australia at the Qatar Open in Doha.
The American is 4-4 in her eight matches at the Qatar Open, and last won a match at the event in 2023.
Coco Gauff’s record at the Qatar Open
- 2022 Qatar Open R64 [WIN] vs Shelby Rogers, 6-2, 6-3
- 2022 Qatar Open R32 [WIN] vs Caroline Garcia, 6-2, 7-6
- 2022 Qatar Open R16 [WIN] vs Paula Badosa, 6-2, 6-3
- 2022 Qatar Open QF [LOSS] vs Maria Sakkari, 3-6, 3-6
- 2023 Qatar Open R16 [WIN] vs Petra Kvitova, 6-3, 7-6
- 2023 Qatar Open QF [LOSS] vs Veronika Kudermetova, 2-6, 6-3, 1-6
- 2024 Qatar Open R32 [LOSS] vs Katerina Siniakova, 2-6, 4-6
- 2025 Qatar Open R32 [LOSS] vs Marta Kostyuk, 2-6, 5-7
She’s lost four of her last five matches in Doha, which is a poor record for someone of her quality.
A deep run would do Gauff the world of good, having left Australia under a cloud of uncertainty.
The Middle-Eastern swing could be big for Gauff, given how much she struggled a year ago.
With 2,000 points up for grabs at the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships, she could quickly rise back up the rankings, having recently dropped down to fifth.
It remains to be seen how well she will perform in the Middle East, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
The 2026 Qatar Open is scheduled to begin on Monday, February 9.
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