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Two of the top women’s tennis players have thrown their support behind Coco Gauff and her wish for players to have media-restricted areas where they can go for privacy.
Gauff, 21, brought up privacy concerns after she was filmed smashing her racket off the court following the World No. 3’s loss to Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open on Wednesday. She encouraged “conversations” about just how much access the media has to players between the court and the locker room.
World No. 2 Iga Swiatek and No. 6 Jessica Pegula echoed Gauff’s concerns after their quarterfinal matches.
“The question is, are we tennis players or are we, like, animals in the zoo where they are observed even when they poop, you know?” said Poland’s Swiatek, who lost in the quarterfinals to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan on Thursday. “OK, that was exaggerating obviously, but it would be nice to have some privacy.
“It would be nice also to, I don’t know, have your own process and not always be, like, observed.”
Pegula, who defeated fellow American Amanda Anisimova to advance to the semifinal round, agreed.
“Coco wasn’t wrong when she said the only place is the locker room,” Pegula said about privacy afforded to players. “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’re going to shower and going to the bathroom. I think that’s something we need to cut back on for sure.”
Gauff smashed her racket in frustration against the concrete floor near the players’ area. She said she didn’t want fans to see her vent her emotions so she chose a place she thought was safe off the court.
“Certain moments — the same thing happened to Aryna (Sabalenka) after I played her in the final of the U.S. Open — I feel like they don’t need to broadcast,” Gauff said after her 6-1, 6-2 loss. “I tried to go somewhere where I thought there wasn’t a camera because I don’t necessarily like breaking rackets.”
–Field Level Media
