Two of the highest girls’s tennis gamers have thrown their assist behind Coco Gauff and her want for gamers to have media-restricted areas the place they will go for privateness.
Gauff, 21, introduced up privateness considerations after she was filmed smashing her racket off the court docket following the World No. 3’s loss to Elina Svitolina of Ukraine within the quarterfinals of the Australian Open on Wednesday. She inspired “conversations” about simply how a lot entry the media has to gamers between the court docket and the locker room.
World No. 2 Iga Swiatek and No. 6 Jessica Pegula echoed Gauff’s considerations after their quarterfinal matches.
“The query is, are we tennis gamers or are we, like, animals within the zoo the place they’re noticed even after they poop, you understand?” stated Poland’s Swiatek, who misplaced within the quarterfinals to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan on Thursday. “OK, that was exaggerating clearly, however it will be good to have some privateness.
“It might be good additionally to, I do not know, have your personal course of and never at all times be, like, noticed.”
Pegula, who defeated fellow American Amanda Anisimova to advance to the semifinal spherical, agreed.
“Coco wasn’t fallacious when she stated the one place is the locker room,” Pegula stated about privateness afforded to gamers. “We’re on the court docket on TV, you come inside, you are on TV. Actually the one time you are not being recorded is when you are going to bathe and going to the toilet. I feel that is one thing we have to in the reduction of on for certain.”
Gauff smashed her racket in frustration in opposition to the concrete flooring close to the gamers’ space. She stated she did not need followers to see her vent her feelings so she selected a spot she thought was secure off the court docket.
“Sure moments — the identical factor occurred to Aryna (Sabalenka) after I performed her within the last of the U.S. Open — I really feel like they need not broadcast,” Gauff stated after her 6-1, 6-2 loss. “I attempted to go someplace the place I believed there wasn’t a digicam as a result of I do not essentially like breaking rackets.”
–Discipline Degree Media
