WTA Introduces ‘Rage Room’ After Coco Gauff’s Australian Open Racket Smash Controversy

World No.4 Coco Gauff recently crashed out of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

WTA Introduces ‘Rage Room’ After Coco Gauff’s Australian Open Racket Smash Controversy

Coco Gauff (Image via X/Game, Set & Talk)

In Short
  • Coco Gauff criticized the Australian Open for broadcasting her racket smash after her quarterfinal loss.
  • The ATX Open introduced a 'rage room' for players to express frustration privately and without cameras.
  • Yevgeny Kafelnikov questioned Gauff's training after she struggled with double faults in recent tournaments.

Several top players from both the ATP and the WTA, including Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek, had criticized the Australian Open for capturing Coco Gauff breaking her racket after her quarterfinal defeat. Elina Svitolina clinched a 6-1, 6-2 win over the American, reaching the semifinals at Melbourne Park for the first time.

Greatly disappointed with her lopsided performance, Gauff tried to avoid drama by not venting her frustration in front of the crowd, thinking it would not be a good look for the sport. What she did was find a quiet corner at the Rod Laver Arena and obliterate her racket, without having any idea that the behind-the-scenes cameras were capturing her every move.

The 21-year-old later said at the press conference that she disapproved of the presence of cameras capturing private moments and broadcasting them. To curb this from happening again, the ATX Open, a WTA 250 event in Austin, Texas, introduced a ‘rage room’ at its venue, the Westwood Country Club.

Introducing the ATX Open rage room – the first of its kind – where players can privately express frustration or emotion in a safe, camera-free environment.

ATX Open wrote on X

Check out the post here:

Gauff is not competing at the home event. She was last seen in action at the Dubai Tennis Championships, where her run ended in the semifinals after an epic three-setter against Svitolina.

Yevgeny Kafelnikov questions Coco Gauff’s training sessions amid her double-fault struggles

Coco Gauff is clearly dealing with serving problems. In 2024 and 2025, she finished the season with 430 and 431 double faults, respectively. In this year’s Dubai Tennis Championships, she served 44 double faults, and this led to former Grand Slam champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov questioning her training sessions.

Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff (via Punto de Break)

It’s a mystery to me how someone with such experience can make such mistakes. I have a question right away: How is the training structured? I’m committed to the fact that I’m absolutely certain that quantity turns into quality. If you serve, roughly speaking, 1,000 serves, you’ll fine-tune it.

Yevgeny Kafelnikov said on the Hard Court podcast

Kafelnikov’s fellow former player from Russia, Elena Dementieva, also weighed in. She thinks that apart from her serve, Gauff also has to improve her forehand.

The problem here is not only her serve, but also her forehand, which is failing. Now, she’s playing only with her backhand, incredible physical fitness, and character. She relies on those three pillars, but it’s very difficult at her level. She’s one of those vying for the number one spot.

Elena Dementieva said

Gauff has yet to reach the top of the rankings table, reaching her career-best No.2 in June 2024. At present, she stands in the No.4th spot after Elena Rybakina‘s Australian Open triumph helped her get back to her career-best No.3 position. Gauff will next be seen in action at Indian Wells, where she has produced her best by reaching the semifinals in 2024. Last year, her run ended in the fourth round.

The two-time Grand Slam singles champion, in fact, has yet to win a Sunshine Doubles title. At the Miami Open, she has never progressed beyond the fourth round, reaching the stage in 2022, 2024, and 2025. Gauff is a three-time WTA 1000 singles champion. After winning the 2023 Cincinnati Open, she clinched the China Open the following season. Last year, she took home the Wuhan Open.

She has also made two more finals at this level: at the Madrid Open and the Italian Open last year, losing them to Aryna Sabalenka and Jasmine Paolini, respectively. So far in her career, Gauff has won six Big Titles.

Also read: Stefanos Tsitsipas Restarts Feud With Former Coach Goran Ivanisevic: “I Regret Certain Decisions”