Coco Gauff’s angry reaction to her defeat to Elina Svitolina has created a wider debate around the privacy of the biggest stars in tennis.
Gauff smashed her racket backstage at the Australian Open, but it was picked up by ESPN’s broadcast in Latin America.
The American shared her unhappiness at being filmed everywhere, while the likes of Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula jumped to Gauff’s defence.
As the debate around tennis players’ privacy rumbles on at the Australian Open, Ash Barty has shared what she would have done in Gauff’s situation.
Ash Barty says Coco Gauff should have been more ‘aware’ after Australian Open racket smash
Barty stood at the top of the WTA Tour for decades as the world number one and a winner of three singles Grand Slams between 2019 and 2022.
While she felt for Gauff after her loss to Svitolina, she suggested the American should be more aware of her surroundings.
Speaking to Nine, the Australian said: “From a player’s point of view, it’s being aware of where the cameras are.
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“It’s knowing the places you can go for that private conversation with your team or that private moment for yourself. It’s just about being aware of that.
“No doubt over the last few years, the visibility for the public has increased to give the public more insight into what players go through, whether they’re warming up, stretching, in the gym, discussions with their teams.”
The Australian then shared what she used to do when she wanted to express anger away from the limelight.
“I think from a player’s point of view, and certainly my point of view, it’s just about being aware of where those areas are so you can have those private conversations. For us that was often off-site,” she said.
“Whether it was at my house, a hotel room, or wherever. I certainly had many heated discussions with my team. It’s about being aware of your surroundings and knowing there’s a time and a place to have those discussions.”
Barty and Gauff only briefly crossed over on the WTA Tour, but they did manage to play each other on two occasions.
The pair split their head-to-head with a win apiece, with Gauff winning in Rome and Barty winning in Adelaide.
Jelena Dokic defends Coco Gauff in privacy debate
Fellow Australian Jelena Dokic had far more sympathy for Gauff after she was caught on camera in a burst of anger.
“It’s difficult, because these are the things that you sometimes don’t see, behind the scenes, that we go through,” Dokic said to Grand Slam Daily.
“And having such a tough day, and being under so much pressure and expectation, and so many times you feel like you’ve got to let it out somewhere.
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“What I love with Coco though is what she said. ‘I actually broke my racquets on court at Roland-Garros a couple of years ago, and I said that I will never do that on court again because I really want to be a great role model for the younger generation.”
Gauff will likely next be in action at the Qatar Open, which is the first Masters tournament on the WTA Tour calendar.
The American has never reached past the quarter-finals of the tournament and she’s been knocked out in the second round in the past two years.
