MELBOURNE, Australia — Iga Swiatek picked up a theme that Coco Gauff left the Australian Open with after the 21-year-old American’s racket-smashing, frustration-releasing moments away from the court went viral.
Gauff said a “conversations needs to had” about the seemingly limitless access-all-areas cameras that track players from the locker room to the court and just about everywhere in between.
After her 7-5, 6-1 quarterfinal loss to fifth-seeded Elena Rybakina on Wednesday, Swiatek was asked how she feels about the lack of off-camera areas for the players and what she thinks should be the balance between entertainment, constant content and player privacy.
“Yeah, the question is, are we tennis players, or are we, like, animals in the zoo where they are observed even when they poop, you know?” she said, apologizing slightly for the latter reference. “OK, that was exaggerating obviously, but it would be nice to have some privacy.
“It would be nice also to, I don’t know, have your own process and not always be, like, observed.”
Swiatek and Gauff are two of the top three players in women’s tennis, so it stands to reason they’ll be more in focus at the tournament.
Vision of Swiatek being stopped by security after forgetting her credential became a meme. She’s won four French Open titles as well as Wimbledon and the US Open. But security is, well, security.
The off-court camera surveillance occurs at other tournaments and isn’t confined to the Australian Open, where organizers have created a three-week festival around the season-opening major by incorporating all kinds of fan engagement activities.
