Coco Gauff has revealed that she did not receive an apology or response from the Australian Open after footage of her smashing a racket in a private area was broadcast worldwide following her quarter-final loss in January. The defending French Open champion, speaking after her first-round victory at Roland Garros, said, 'I mean, I didn't get anything from my email that I know of.' She noted that the WTA sent a message reiterating their commitment to discussing private areas with grand slams.
Gauff, the fourth seed, began her title defence with a commanding 6-4, 6-0 win over American compatriot Taylor Townsend. The incident in Melbourne sparked widespread criticism from players about the lack of privacy, with many calling for camera-free zones. French Open tournament director Amélie Mauresmo confirmed that no additional cameras would be added to private player areas, despite broadcaster pressure for more access.
'I feel like the French Open does a really good job with the cameras,' Gauff said. 'I haven't had any experiences where they broadcasted something, an emotional moment or anything like that.' She added that she prays before matches in the gym, and that has never been shown. 'Roland Garros, from my personal experience, has done a decent job with that.'
The issue of intrusive cameras has been a growing concern on the tour. Madison Keys, a WTA player council member, unsuccessfully pushed for the removal of such cameras. 'If the players want it, but the tournaments think it's great for broadcasting and they make more money, then we're just going to have a stalemate,' she said sarcastically.
Another controversial moment at the Australian Open involved men's champion Carlos Alcaraz, who was filmed scrolling his phone in a player transportation area. The footage, broadcast live on YouTube, showed what he was viewing. Alcaraz, absent from Paris due to injury, said, 'For us, the players, it's weird because we don't have that space that we can be chilling... Having a camera really, really down so that they can see what we are looking at the phone, I think that's too much.'
Wimbledon will maintain many private areas for players, with camera locations communicated in advance. Cameras will not livestream, and all video is reviewed before publication. In Paris, Naomi Osaka advanced to the second round with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) win over Laura Siegemund, but her outfit stole the spotlight. She wore an all-black corset and floor-length skirt before revealing a gold sequined dress. 'Sometimes people say athletes are in show business... grand slam walk-ons are the only time that I possibly feel like I'm an entertainer,' Osaka said.
