Coco Gauff Calls For Clearer Boundaries on Players’ Privacy Ahead of Return in Stuttgart

Coco Gauff to kick off her clay season at the Stuttgart Open.

Coco Gauff Calls For Clearer Boundaries on Players’ Privacy Ahead of Return in Stuttgart

Coco Gauff (Image via X/Quindici Zero)

In Short
  • Coco Gauff calls for clearer boundaries on players' privacy amid concerns over media coverage.
  • The World No.3 emphasizes the need for private moments to remain off-camera during tournaments.
  • Gauff aims to focus on her game plan as she prepares for the French Open title defense.

World No.3 Coco Gauff is back at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. The American star has a chance to win the tournament as World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka has decided to pull out of the WTA 500 event. However, she expressed her concerns about what needs to be implemented to ensure players’ privacy during the tour.

The debate about players’ privacy spiraled after Gauff fell to Elina Svitolina in straight sets at the Australian Open quarter-finals. The disappointing defeat lasted for just 59 minutes at the Rod Laver Arena, which was a tough one for the 22-year-old to swallow, having had huge expectations for the tournament.

The American intentionally waited to leave the court before venting her frustration on her racket, smashing it in the hallway of the Rod Laver Arena. Unfortunately, for the World No.3, her racket-smashing moment was caught on camera and quickly went viral on social media. When asked about it during her post-match press conference, she revealed that she deserves a safe spot where cameras are not recording.

Her colleagues on tour, including Iga Swiatek and Sabalenka, defended the former US Open champion, stressing that players deserve privacy outside the court and that cameras shouldn’t be recording all their actions. Last week, Carlos Alcaraz supported the women players‘ statements during his press conference at the Monte Carlo.

The former ATP No.1 revealed that not everything has to be televised in tournaments, especially Grand Slam events. Gauff continued the discussion at the Stuttgart Open during her press conference. She noted that even fans who come to watch matches sometimes record private moments on the court:

The main thing is signs. There are many private moments that we have. I pray before every match, and I had to tell the cameras not to record that moment. We are athletes and we put on a show on the court, but I don’t think we need to compromise everything we do off the court. Some people were zooming in on phones and reading text messages—that’s where it goes too far. I’m glad I maybe started a conversation.

Grand Slam tournaments are known to give fans behind-the-scenes moments. On some occasions, even some actions on training sessions that players do not know are being recorded have become a controversy on tour. However, WTA has expressed players’ concerns and revealed that they will come to an understanding with tournaments on the issue.

Coco Gauff reveals her goal for the clay season as she focuses on the French Open

Coco Gauff had one of her best clay seasons on tour last year. She reached the finals of the Madrid Open, the Italian Open, and the French Open. It was only at the Stuttgart Open that she reached the quarter-finals before losing to Jasmine Paolini in straight sets. With the experience of last season, she has a chance of winning the championship.

Coco Gauff (2)
Coco Gauff (Image via X/Coco Gauff)

Nonetheless, one of her major goals this period is to get to her best level ahead of her French Open title defense. During the aforementioned press conference, Gauff admitted that she doesn’t want to feel stressed when she arrives at the Roland Garros in the later end of May:

My goals are just to focus on the game plan my coaches and I have worked on, and focus more on that than the results. I’ve been in this position before when defending Roland-Garros and maybe got a little bit stressed. It would be great to win again, but I don’t want to tear myself apart trying to do that. The main thing is focusing on the process and knowing that the results will come.

Gauff will kick off her Stuttgart Open campaign against Russian star Liudmila Samsonova in the round of 16 after a first-round bye. Despite Aryna Sabalenka not competing in Stuttgart, Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Amanda Anisimova, and Jasmine Paolini will feature at the tournament.

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