MELBOURNE, Australia — Iga Swiatek picked up a privacy 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 “maybe conversations can be 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 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 for the latter reference. “OK, that was exaggerating obviously, but it would be nice to have some privacy.”
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.
Visions of Swiatek being stopped by security after forgetting her credential became a meme during the tournament. She’s won four French Open titles as well as Wimbledon and the US Open. But security is, well, security.
Fan engagement
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 manner of fan engagement.
The vision from the nonpublic stadium areas isn’t always broadcast, but players don’t need reminding that some moments that get captured will turn up on the internet for being cute, informative or just outright dramatic.
No. 2-ranked Swiatek said there were parts of her game she’d like to practice immediately before walking out for a match and “it would be nice to have some space where you can do that without the whole world watching.”
The 24-year-old is one of Poland’s biggest stars and is fully aware that being in the public gaze is part-and-parcel of being a champion.
“We’re tennis players. We’re meant to be watched on the court, you know, and in the press. That’s our job,” she said.
Gauff’s racket
No. 3-ranked Gauff, a two-time major winner, smashed her racket into the concrete floor of a ramp near the player area seven times after her Australian Open quarterfinal loss to Elina Svitolina on Day 10.
She stayed composed as she left the center court before trying to find somewhere in the shadows to vent.
Turned out, there’s pretty much no place within the confines of Rod Laver Arena except for the locker rooms that is beyond the scope of the cameras.
“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 in her post-match news conference. “I tried to go somewhere where I thought there wasn’t a camera because I don’t necessarily like breaking rackets.”
WTA takes
concerns seriously
The women’s tour said it “stands with our players and takes their concerns about privacy and cameras at the Australian Open seriously.”
“Players deserve spaces away from competition where they can recover in private,” WTA chairman Valerie Camillo said. “We have already taken steps to reduce camera presence in off-court player areas to ensure players have appropriate private spaces.”
“We agree that there should be clear, respectful boundaries in off-court areas,” Camillo added. “We believe this issue should be reviewed by tournament organizers and broadcast partners to ensure appropriate boundaries are in place.”
