In Melbourne, Australia, Coco Gauff vented her frustration on her tennis racket after losing her Australian Open quarterfinal to Elina Svitolina on Tuesday. The match saw Gauff smash her racket on the concrete floor multiple times following each instance of losing her serve and once more for emphasis.
Ranked as the third seed and a two-time Grand Slam champion, Gauff struggled significantly with her serve, committing five double-faults in the opening set and having her serve broken four times.
In the second set, Gauff continued to face challenges, suffering two more service breaks. The match concluded in just 59 minutes, after which Gauff maintained her composure as she exited the center court, searching for a secluded spot to express her frustration.
However, the public nature of Rod Laver Arena meant that few places were free from the watchful eyes of cameras. Thus, Gauff’s decision to repeatedly slam her racket onto a concrete ramp became a very public display, following her 6-1, 6-2 loss.
During the post-match press conference, Gauff reflected on the incident, remarking, “Certain moments, like what happened to Aryna (Sabalenka) after our U.S. Open final, should maybe remain private. I looked for a spot without cameras because I don’t enjoy breaking rackets.
She continued, “I once broke a racket at the French Open and vowed never to do it on court again. It doesn’t reflect well, so perhaps this is something we should discuss.”
Gauff hit just three clean winners across 15 games, made 26 unforced errors and won 2 of 11 points on her second serve. She got 74% of her first serves into play, but only won 41% of those points.
It was an usually bad day for a player who made her Grand Slam debut at 15 and won her first major, the 2023 U.S. Open, at 19. She’s still only 21.
Gauff said she felt it was better to shatter a racket than to take out any frustrations on her support team.
“They’re good people. They don’t deserve that, and I know I’m emotional,” Gauff said. “So, yeah, 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.”
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