Coco Gauff was filmed slamming her racket after losing to Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
Published January 27, 2026
Coco Gauff was looking for a camera-free place to vent her frustrations after losing in straight sets to Elina Svitolina in the Australian Open quarter-finals, but was dissatisfied when she found out footage of her slamming her tennis racket onto the floor was being broadcast to viewers around the world.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Gauff was visibly shaken by her performance on Tuesday, committing 26 unforced errors in 59 minutes and losing the match 6-1, 6-2.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
The third-seeded American entered the venue behind a wall near the match-calling area and was caught on camera repeatedly slamming his racket into the floor.
“I tried to go somewhere where there were no cameras,” the 21-year-old told reporters.
“I have certain feelings about broadcasting. At one moment, after I played Aryna (Sabarenka) in the final of the US Open, I feel like the same thing happened, but I don’t feel the need to broadcast it.”
World No. 1 Sabalenka, who will face Svitolina in the semifinals, smashed her racket at the practice range after losing to Gauff in the 2023 US Open final, and a video of the incident was also released.
“We tried to go somewhere that wasn’t going to be broadcast, but obviously it was. Maybe we could have a conversation, because I think the only private place for us in this tournament is the locker room,” Gauff added.
“I know myself and I don’t want to blame the team. They’re good people. They don’t deserve this and I know I’m emotional,” Gauff said.
“I just took a little bit of time and did it. I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Like I said, I don’t try to do it on the court in front of the kids. But I know I need to get that feeling out.”
“Otherwise, I would be snappy with the people around me. I don’t want to do that, because like I said, they don’t deserve it. They did their best. I was mine. I just need to vent my frustration.”
