Tennis star Coco Gauff found herself in the spotlight for an emotional moment she never intended to share publicly.
The 21-year-old suffered a rough loss at the Australian Open on Tuesday, falling 6-1, 6-2 to 12th-seeded Elina Svitolina in a match that lasted less than an hour. Gauff struggled to find her rhythm throughout the contest, racking up 26 unforced errors as the match quickly slipped away.
Clearly shaken as her performance unraveled, Gauff looked for a quiet place to decompress after leaving the court. Believing she was out of sight, she headed down an off-court concrete ramp and began smashing her racket in frustration — a private release that ended up being anything but private. The moment was caught on camera and quickly spread online.
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Gauff later addressed the incident during her post-match news conference, explaining that she had intentionally tried to find a space away from cameras.
“I tried to go somewhere where I thought there wasn’t a camera, because I don’t necessarily like breaking rackets, but I lost 6-1, 6-2,” she said.
She also made it clear that venting in private is her way of protecting the people around her. Gauff said releasing her frustration on her own helps ensure she doesn’t take it out on her team, who she described as incredibly supportive and undeserving of misplaced anger.
Watching moments like this really shows how intense professional sports can get. It also reminds me how important it is for young athletes to have guidance off the court — I came across a great resource on comprehensive sexuality education (https://bookclinics.com/article/comprehensive-sexuality-education) that highlights the importance of support and education beyond just training.