Coco Gauff’s Australian Open campaign didn’t have the fairytale ending she hoped for.
After Gauff lost to Elina Svitolina 6-1, 6-2, in the quarterfinals, cameras continued to track her as she headed backstage.
Looking to release her frustrations, Gauff was seen smashing her racket repeatedly.
Do players need to be given more privacy at the Australian Open?
After the American received criticism for her outburst, Gauff questioned the lack of privacy that players are allowed at the Australian Open.
During his latest press conference, tennis legend Novak Djokovic shared his thoughts on Gauff’s racket smash.
Novak Djokovic empathises with Coco Gauff and says lack of privacy shows tennis is going backwards
After beating Lorenzo Musetti in his quarterfinal match, Djokovic gave his verdict on Gauff’s post-match incident.
“Yeah, I saw what happened with Coco [Gauff] after her match. Look, I empathise with her,” he said.
“I know what it feels like to break a racket. I’ve done it a few times in my career. I know how it is to be frustrated, particularly after a match where you underperform.”
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He also commented on the cameras that follow players backstage.
“I agree with her. You know, it’s really sad that you can’t basically move away anywhere and hide and — what do you call that — fume out your frustration, your anger in a way that won’t be captured by a camera,” said Djokovic.
“But we live in a society and in times where content is everything, so it’s a deeper discussion.
“I guess it’s really hard for me to see the trend changing in the opposite direction, meaning we take out cameras.
“It’s only going to be as it is or even more cameras.”
Djokovic is ‘frightened’ by how invasive the cameras have become and believes the privacy issue highlights how tennis is ‘going backwards’.
“I mean, I’m surprised that we have no cameras while we are taking a shower!” he said.
“I mean, that’s probably the next step. I’m against it.
“I think there should always be a limit and kind of a borderline where, okay, this is our space.
“But you know, there’s always a demand. How players warm up, what did they say when they speak to their coaches, and what’s their cooldown. They want to see us arriving in the car and walking through the corridors.
“You’ve got to be careful in a sense, because I’m on the tour for quite a bit, so I remember the time when we didn’t have so many cameras, and then that transition of really getting used to having an eye that you don’t hear and may sometimes forget about always on you is frightening, because, at times you want to relax and maybe, I don’t know, be yourself in a sense that you don’t want public to see.
“But it’s really hard for me to see that that’s going backwards, you know? It’s just something that I guess we have to accept.”
It remains to be seen if anything will be done about player privacy at the Australian Open, but with two of the biggest names in the sport making their feelings heard, surely the powers that be will take note.
Message of support to Coco Gauff shows how important Novak Djokovic is to tennis
Not for the first time, Djokovic has spoken eloquently in defence of another tennis pro.
Throughout his career, the Serb has never been afraid of calling out tournaments and always seems to have people’s best interests at heart.
Whatever you think about Djokovic, it’s becoming harder and harder to deny that he’s a great ambassador for the game.
And even though his time on the court may be nearing an end, his influence in tennis remains as strong as ever.
Not only has he publicly defended Gauff, but he also gave time to another young American, Iva Jovic, earlier in the tournament.
18-year-old Jovic revealed that Djokovic shared some advice with her en route to her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Djokovic has always been keen to help out the younger players on tour, and in doing so, has set a great example for his fellow ATP stars.
As knowledgeable and as wise as he is, it seems natural that Djokovic will head into coaching not long after retirement.
He’s not there yet, though, and the 38-year-old still has work to do in Melbourne.
Djokovic will play either Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton in the Australian Open semifinals on Friday, January 30.
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