Coco Gauff has called for more privacy for players after she was caught on camera smashing her racket following a shock Australian Open quarter-final loss to Elina Svitolina.
Gauff was left frustrated after her opponent needed less than an hour to progress through to the last four at Melbourne Park for the first time at the age of 31.
After the second set, Gauff quickly walked off the court, visibly frustrated.
She was captured by the tournament’s behind-the-scenes coverage, smashing her racket, which was broadcast on TV and social media.
Gauff said: "I tried to go somewhere where there was no cameras.
"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.
"So maybe some conversations can be had, because I feel like, at this tournament, the only private place we have is the locker room."
She added: "I don’t want to lash out on my team. They’re good people. They don’t deserve that, and I know I’m emotional. So I just took the minute to go and do that.
Coco Gauff has called for more privacy for players after she was caught on camera smashing her racket
|GETTY
Gauff added: "I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I try not to do it on court in front of kids and things like that, but I do know I need to let out that emotion.”
The tennis star has struggled since winning her second grand slam title at the French Open last year, particularly with her serve, and her statistics of three winners and 26 unforced errors told their own story.
She said: "I tried my best to be positive, but I just felt like nothing for me was working. That’s a bit frustrating when you are out there and you feel like your strengths aren’t really doing their thing.
"There were many matches watching Serena (Williams) play that she would play bad and be able to scrap those out and win the title. I just need to figure out how to get through those bad days."
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She was captured by the tournament’s behind-the-scenes coverage
|TNTSPORTS
The victory was a milestone achievement in Svitolina’s career, with the Ukrainian through to her fourth slam semi-final and second since she returned to the tour following the birth of her daughter Skai in 2022.
Svitolina was the latest player to take a break at the end of last season for mental health reasons.
On her return, she won the WTA tournament in Auckland and will now return to the top 10.
She is yet to go further than the semi-finals and will face world number one Sabalenka, who is yet to drop a set.
The tennis star has struggled since winning her second grand slam title at the French Open last year
|GETTY
Svitolina said: "I’m very pleased with the tournament so far and it’s always been my dream to come back after maternity leave in the top 10. Unfortunately it didn’t happen last year but I told my coach this was my goal for this season.
"It means the world to me. I try to push myself, to give myself this motivation to continue."
The 27-year-old added: "At the end of the match, it was really hot out there. I’m glad they closed the roof almost halfway so we had a lot of shade in the back.”
Organisers had reworked the schedule in anticipation of the heat, with the start of the wheelchair draws postponed until Wednesday and junior matches beginning at 9am.
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