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Iga Swiatek of Poland plays a forehand return to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan during their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo)
The last 24 hours at the Australian Open have seen videos of world number three Coco Gauff smashing her racket on a ramp following her 6-1, 6-2 loss against Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals of the tournament as well as a video of world number two Iga Swiatek being denied access by security into the player’s gym without her tournament accreditation. Swiatek would suffer a 7-5, 6-1 loss to Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals. After the ouster, the six-time grand slam winner was critical of the fact that the players are recorded at different areas than the court during the tournament.
“The question is, are we tennis players or are we animals in the zoo where they are observed even when they poop? OK, that was exaggerating obviously, but it would be nice to have some privacy. It would be nice to have your own process and not always be observed, without the whole world watching. It’s not simple. We are meant to be watched on the court and in the press. That is our job. It’s not our job to be a meme when you forget your accreditation. It is funny, for sure. People have something to talk about, but I don’t think it’s necessary,” Swiatek said while addressing reporters after her loss.
On Tuesday, Gauff had smashed her racket on a concrete floor on a ramp on her way out from the Rod Laver Arena following her loss against Svitolina. The moment was caught by the tournament cameras and the video of the incident was soon on social media.
During the 2023 US Open, Aryna Sabalenka had smashed her racket in a training area post her loss against Gauff and the footage of the incident too had gone viral. Gauff spoke about Tuesday’s incident and also shared her views on such moments being recorded in the past.
“I tried to go somewhere where there were no cameras. 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. 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. 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,” shared Gauff while speaking with reporters post her loss.
World number six Jessica Pegula too described the incidents as an ‘invasion of privacy’ and shared how such things need to be ‘cut back’. “Coco wasn’t wrong when she said the only place is the locker room, which is crazy. You know, you’re just kind of going about your day. To feel like someone is constantly filming you, I saw online people were Zooming in on players’ phones and stuff like that. That’s so unnecessary. I just think it’s really an invasion of privacy. I mean, we’re on the court on TV. You come inside, you’re on TV. Literally, the only time you’re not being recorded is when you are going to shower and go to the bathroom,” Pegula said after her 6-2, 7-6 (1) win over Amanda Anisimova.
Earlier in the tournament, Pegula was asked by the Australian Open authorities to remove some of her social media posts due to rights holder issues. Pegula also spoke on the issue. “I really, really am not a fan. I’ve had the tournament tell me to take down some stuff because they own footage and stuff like that. I’m, like, are you serious? I post something that has to be taken down, but then you can see me on every single hallway that I’m walking in and post it online? It’s not cool,” added Pegula.
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World number four Amanda Anisimova shared how she kept her head down after her loss against Pegula and knew that she didn’t have ‘much privacy’. “You kind of know after a couple of days that they are there. I knew they were there so I just kept my head down and went to the locker room because I knew I was able to just be there (away from the cameras). There are good moments that people get to see and it’s fun, but then when you lose they aren’t so good moments. The video of Coco that was posted is tough because she didn’t have a say in that. I think this deep down into the tournament, I knew I didn’t have much privacy,” said Anisimova.
English (US) ·