Coco Gauff’s racket smashing at the Australian Open caused a mass debate around players’ privacy at tournaments.
Gauff smashed her racket to pieces after being eliminated by Elina Svitolina, but she did so in the players tunnel where she thought she wasn’t filmed.
The American was not happy about being caught on camera and she slammed the lack of privacy for high-profile tennis players.
Several former professionals jumped to Gauff’s defence and now Alexandra Eala has voiced her concern about privacy.
Alexandra Eala voices her concern about players’ privacy
Speaking to The National News, Eala joined the discussion surrounding players’ privacy after Gauff launched a sport-wide debate.
The Filipina star, who broke onto the tennis scene with a remarkable run at the 2025 Miami Open, said she has struggled with the amount of cameras on her at all times.
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She said: “I am learning to deal with a lot of, you know, these cameras and a lot of the times when people see me, the phone is the first thing they reach out for. Which is something that I have to adjust to.
“I do value privacy a lot. I think everyone has the right to their own privacy and sometimes being a public figure, the lines are a little bit blurred.
“Or sometimes I can understand that we don’t have the power to draw our own line. I think everybody should have the right to draw the line of privacy.”
Eala and Gauff have spent plenty of time together on the WTA Tour, and even played doubles at the 2025 Italian Open.
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Eala’s performances at the Abu Dhabi Open earned her a place in the top 40 of the WTA Tour rankings for the first time, but her recent loss has caused a slight tumble.
The 20-year-old was defeated in straight sets by qualifier Tereza Valentova, which saw her drop back down to World No. 45.
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The Filipina will next play the Dubai Tennis Championships, a tournament she is yet to play in her career, where she could bolster her ranking.
The star will need to try and gain all the ranking points possible as she will be defending over 300 points at the Miami Open.
The star reached the semi-finals last year, meaning if she doesn’t match that position, she could be set for another ranking drop.
