Coco Gauff has spoken out after being caught on camera smashing her tennis racquet, following her loss at the Australian Open.
Even when things become heated, Coco Gauff stays true to herself. After losing to Elina Svitolina in the Australian Open quarterfinals on January 27, the professional tennis player was caught furiously smashing her racket.
“I tried to go somewhere where I thought there wasn’t a camera because I don’t necessarily like breaking rackets,” upon the game, Coco, 21, gave reporters an explanation at a press conference. “I have a thing with the broadcast. I feel like certain moments—the same thing happened to Aryna [Sabalenka] after I played her in the final of the US Open—I feel like they don’t need to broadcast.”
Coco can be seen strolling behind a low wall in the video, which TNT Sports posted on X. She then repeatedly slams her tennis racket against the ground. After losing the match due to 26 unintentional errors and only scoring two points out of eleven on her second serve, she became irate.
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Coco called out the Australian Open and stressed the need for more athlete privacy, even though she openly acknowledged that she had once broken a racket on the court.
“I broke one racket [at the] French Open… and I said I would never do it again on court because I don’t feel like that’s a good representation,” she clarified. “But, yeah, I tried to go somewhere where they wouldn’t broadcast it, but obviously they did, so yeah, maybe some conversations can be had because I feel like at this tournament, the only private place we have is the locker room.”
Reps at the Australian Open were contacted by news outlets for comment, but they did not respond.
Coco also said that she needed a means to vent her anger, even though her behavior wasn't necessarily setting a good example for younger kids.
“I know myself and I don’t want to lash out at my team,” she stated. “I know I’m emotional, so yeah, I just took the minute to go and do that.”
The athlete continued, “I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Like I said, I don’t try to do it on court in front of kids and things like that. But I do know I need to let out that emotion otherwise I’m just gonna be snappy with the people around me and I don’t want to do that… I just need to let the frustration out.”
Coco has already reacted angrily to the game. During the 2024 Olympics, she also sobbed in exasperation while disputing an umpire's decision.
After a protracted argument between the two on the out-of-bounds call, Coco became obviously upset and remarked, "I never argue calls and you know this, but this isn't fair. I feel like I'm getting cheated on constantly in this game and I have to argue. It always happens to me on this court. I have to advocate for myself every time."
Coco continued by saying that she had previously received an apology for poor calls made on the court, but she pointed out that this didn't help her during the game. "You guys are not fair to me, and I hope that one day the game becomes fair, but it's not," she continued.
While Coco doesn't feel guilty about smashing a few tennis racquets out of annoyance, other celebrities have also made some significant life revelations.
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