Coco Gauff has expressed her disappointment after video of her smashing her racket at the Australian Open was picked up on camera.
The American was well below her usual high standards during her 6-1, 6-2 defeat by Elina Svitolina on Tuesday. Gauff had trouble with her forehand and serve throughout the match - she double-faulted five times in the first set alone – and hit 26 unforced errors to just three winners, losing in just 59 minutes. She also appeared to believe there was something wrong with her equipment as she struggled with her control, and had three of her rackets restrung in the opening set.
After the match, the 21-year-old thought she had found some privacy to vent her frustration in a ramp away leading from Rod Laver Arena. She smashed her racket against the concrete floor but the incident was picked up by a camera and video of the incident soon flooded social media.
“I tried to go somewhere where there were no cameras,” Gauff told reporters. “I kind of 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.”
World No 1 Sabalenka smashed her racket in a training area after her loss to Gauff at the 2023 US Open. Footage of that incident also went viral after it was caught on camera.
“I tried to go somewhere where they wouldn’t broadcast it, but obviously they did. Maybe some conversations can be had, because I feel like at this tournament the only private place we have is the locker room,” Gauff added.
The 21-year-old said she prefers to take out her frustration on her equipment rather than her team.
“I think for me, I know myself, and 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,” Gauff said. “I just took the minute to go and do that. 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 going to be snappy with the people around me, and I don’t want to do that, because like I said, they don’t deserve it. They did their best. I did mine. Just need to let the frustration out.”
Gauff, the No 3 seed at this year’s Australian Open, was hoping to make the final in Melbourne for the first time, and she had won her two previous matches against Svitolina. She is the reigning French Open champion but suffered a shock defeat in the first-round at last year’s Wimbledon and was knocked out in the fourth round of the US Open.
Svitolina was in a more positive mood after reaching her first Australian Open semi-final, where she will face Sabalenka. The victory also guarantees she will return to the world top 10 for the first time since giving birth to her daughter, Skai.
“After maternity leave, it was my dream to come back into the top 10,” she said. “Always been my goal. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen last year, I stopped after September [due to injury] and then when we were training in the off-season, I told my coach: ‘I want to come back to top 10 this year,’ so this was my goal this year.”
Although Gauff and her compatriot, Iva Jović, lost their quarter-finals, the US is guaranteed a semi-finalist at this year’s tournament. Two Americans, Amanda Anisimova and Jessica Pegula, face each other in Wednesday morning’s quarter-final in Melbourne. Jović was easily beaten 6-3, 6-0 by Sabalenka, who has reached the semi-finals in 12 of her last 13 grans slam appearances and will be a formidable test for Svitolina.
