A video of Coco Gauff smashing her racket that emerged after she exited the Australian Open has received plenty of backlash, with several big names in tennis coming to the defence of the 21-year-old.
Gauff suffered a heavy defeat to Elina Svitolina in the last eight at Melbourne Park on Tuesday, falling in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2.
After the loss, the American smashed her racket behind the scenes, with the outburst picked up by a camera before going viral on social media.
Do players need to be given more privacy at the Australian Open?
Several tennis stars weighed in on the situation, arguing that players need more privacy, including 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic, who claimed tennis is ‘going backwards‘.
Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, disagrees with the majority, however, and thinks Gauff‘s racket smash is a ‘positive thing’ for tennis.
Patrick Mouratoglou discusses Coco Gauff’s racket smash
Women’s world number two Iga Swiatek also voiced her frustrations about the video, asking: “The question is, are we tennis players or are we like animals in the zoo?”
Reacting to the Pole’s words in a post on Instagram, Mouratoglou said: “That was an interesting quote. Swiatek was asked about Coco being filmed breaking the racket, and there was a little bit of controversy because Coco said she was disappointed.
“She tried to isolate herself because she didn’t want to break a racket in front of the crowd. She wanted to have her moment and be able to break the racket alone, and she has been filmed. So that was a big discussion.
“I mean, that’s part of the game now, you know. Tennis is a show, and because of social media and everything now, there are cameras everywhere.
“Yes, when they walk in the alley, when they’re moving between the court and the fitness [room]. When they’re in the fitness [room] people want to know more about how they prepare. Yes, they’re interested about that.
Are you worried about Coco Gauff in 2026?
“What it is about now, the behind-the-scenes people are really interested, and I personally think it’s good. I think it’s a positive thing.
“I understand, Coco, the fact that she was p——, that she’s been filmed breaking the racket, but she knows there are cameras there. There are cameras everywhere. I mean, that’s how you learn. It’s fine.”
Coco Gauff’s 2026 Australian Open campaign
Gauff had started off her 2026 Australian Open run positively, with two straight-set wins in the first couple of rounds.
She beat Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 6-3, and dominated Olga Danilovic 6-2, 6-2 to book her place in round three.
In the third round, Gauff had to come back from a set down against Hailey Baptiste after her compatriot drew first blood.
The two-time major champion got the job done, however, fighting her way back into the contest to triumph 3-6, 6-0, 6-3.
Gauff’s fourth-round opponent came in the form of Karolina Muchova, who forced her to a decisive third set, but the US star came out on top once again to advance.
Despite her strong performances earlier in the tournament, Gauff had no answer for Svitolina in the quarterfinals.
She tallied a first serve win percentage of 41% against the Ukrainian, and just 33% on second serve, as she was beaten convincingly.
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