Coco Gauff will still be pondering her Australian Open exit, after which she was caught smashing her racket in frustration.
Gauff argued that she cares a lot after much talk of the racket smash, which she purposely carried out behind the scenes in a bid not to attract attention after her Australian Open exit.
The disappointment from the WTA star arrived immediately after her quarterfinal defeat at the Grand Slam, with Gauff losing to Elina Svitolina.
World number three Gauff was nowhere near her best against Svitolina, who won 6-1, 6-2 in just 59 minutes of play at Rod Laver Arena.
Are you worried about Coco Gauff in 2026?
Serena Williams offers to teach racket smash to Coco Gauff
Gauff wants to be more like Serena Williams when playing such tennis, with the WTA legend now incidentally making an offer to her fellow American, albeit in a different area.
Sharing his verdict on the reaction to the racket smash, Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian posted on social media: “NGL (not gonna lie) I love this energy and emotion from Coco Gauff – we love sports because it’s raw, because these athletes put their all into the battle and sometimes (like life) you don’t win.
“Media are gonna spin this private moment for a headline to get some clicks, but Coco did nothing wrong here.”
Quoting that message, Williams wrote on X: “Well said Alexis Ohanian. Passion. Caring. Matters. Nothing wrong with hating to lose.
“Now Coco when you want I can show you how to demolish in one swipe… Serena style.”
And Gauff was quick to respond to the light-hearted message, replying with three heart emojis and two crying laughing emojis.
Coco Gauff did the right thing after her shock Australian Open loss
It really was an underwhelming performance from Gauff, although every single player is, of course, allowed to have their off days.
Her compatriot Williams certainly had hers, but they were few and far between for the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
But Gauff did the right thing by waiting until she at least thought she was alone before unleashing her fury on her racket.
Do players need to be given more privacy at the Australian Open?
Of course, it’s never a pretty sight, and there are perhaps more therapeutic ways to release frustration, but such emotions are more than understandable given the stakes involved.
Gauff was playing for a Grand Slam semifinal, and was again under the spotlight given her superstar status in American and world tennis.
It’s also definitely worth remembering that not only is she only 21 years old, but she’s already proven her maturity and worth to tennis time and again, both on and off the court.
Moreover, Gauff has just shown her ability to recover quickly with her response to Williams, already seeing the funny side of the highly emotional moment.
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