Cameras are everywhere. Athletes and celebrities know this, but sometimes even knowing they are constantly being watcheddoesn't matter. When someone is mad, they are going to show their anger, and Coco Gauff needed to show her anger at the Australian Open.
The issue stemmed from her quarterfinal match against Elina Svitolina, having her best run in Melbourne, when little appeared to go right for the American. She landed 74 percent of her first serves, but Svitolina kept punishing what made it over the net. The Ukrainian won 59 percent of her returns on Gauff's first serve.
The American was also troubled once again by far too many double faults. As great a player as she is, she has one Achilles heel. She will often keep her opponents in matches they have no business being in simply by giving them free points.
Coco Gauff gets shocked by Elina Svitolina at the 2026 Australian Open
In the first set against Svitolina, Gauff had five double faults. She fixed the problem in the second set, but the damage was done. Gauff dropped the first set 1-6, and that was coupled with the American struggling to do anything else. In the first set, she had two winners and 14 unforced errors.
The second set was no better, except Gauff stopped committing double faults. She had just one winner and 12 more unforced errors. Svitolina was playing efficiently throughout, with just a few more unforced errors than winners. She wasn't beating herself the way Coco Gauff was taking herself out of the match.
After the match, Gauff stayed classy, as she normally does. She shook hands with her opponent and walked off the court. It was then that she chose to have the meltdown she needed. Before getting to the locker room, she stopped on a ramp and slammed her racket down six times (one for each time she dropped serve during the match), breaking it.
She played poorly, while Elina Svitolina played well. It was a perfect storm for Coco Gauff. She didn't deserve to win, and she knew it. She told the media as much after her match.
"Certain moments - the same thing happened to Aryna (Sabalenka) after I played her in the final of the US Open - I feel like they don't need to broadcast," Gauff said. "I tried to go somewhere where I thought there wasn't a camera because I don't necessarily like breaking rackets...I know I'm emotional. So, yeah, I just took the minute to go and do that. I don't think it's a bad thing. Like I said, I don't try to do it on court in front of kids and things like that, but I do know I need to let out that emotion."
Coco Gauff will now move on to her next opponent. Elina Svitolina will next face Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open semifinals. Her previous best in Melbourne had been reaching the quarterfinals. She hasn't yet won a major in her career, but she can't be ruled out at the Aussie Open in 2026.