What’s a girl gotta do to crash out in peace? Coco Gauff is probably wondering the same thing after footage surfaced of her smashing her racket following what sounded like an extremely frustrating defeat that knocked her out of the Australian Open after arriving as the No. 3 seed.
On Tuesday, Jan. 27, the 21-year-old tennis star suffered a 6-1, 6-2 loss to Elina Svitolina during the quarterfinal at Rod Laver Arena, CNN reported. Things were clearly off for the champion, who struggled with her forehand and serve, hitting 26 unforced errors to just three winners and exiting in exactly 59 minutes.
What’s worse, she may have also thought something was wrong with her equipment, having three of her rackets restrung in the opening set. (Puts that footage a little more into context, doesn’t it?)
So after the defeat, compounded by equipment struggles, Gauff went to what she thought was a private corner in a ramp alley to let it out. In her bright orange tennis set and matching sweat band, she smashed her racket into the concrete floor several times, visibly frustrated. Like, call Rico Nasty because our girl was “raging.”
Speaking to The Guardian about the footage, the tennis star shared she was upset it was ever made public.
“I tried to go somewhere where there were no cameras,” she said, adding that moments like that “don’t need to broadcast.”
But perhaps this can spark a broader discussion about player welfare and the boundaries between athletes and the press immediately following a match.
“Maybe some conversations can be had, because I feel like at this tournament the only private place we have is the locker room,” she continued, noting that sometimes, herself included, players need to let off steam and come down after a tense match to avoid becoming a problem later for others.
“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, she said, she risks becoming “snappy” and lashing out at people who don’t deserve it.
“They did their best. I did mine. Just need to let the frustration out,” she emphasized.
This also marks the second instance of a Black player’s emotions being policed — or at least given heightened visibility — during this year’s Australian Open. Earlier in the tournament, Naomi Osaka cheered herself on after winning points, which appeared to annoy her opponent enough to raise it with the umpire. A tense moment followed at the handshake before Osaka waved it off.
Had Tuesday’s match gone Gauff’s way, she would have been on her way to her first Australian Open final. She currently holds the French Open title.
