Novak Djokovic sends heartfelt message to Coco Gauff and fans: “There should be a limit and a borderline where this is our space”

The use of cameras in restricted player-only areas at the Australian Open has sparked debate and controversy at the tournament, after Coco Gauff complained that one of them captured the moment she smashed a racket following a heavy defeat on Tuesday in the quarterfinals against Elina Svitolina (6-1, 6-2 in 59 minutes).

“I think there’s an issue with the cameras. I feel that at certain moments – like what happened to Sabalenka when I played her in the US Open final – we don’t need to be filmed,” said the American.

“Are we animals in the zoo?”

On Wednesday, Iga Swiatek was asked about the issue. The Pole had also been soundly beaten, in her case by Elena Rybakina (7-5, 6-1), and a few days earlier had been at the center of an incident that was broadcast live when she forgot her accreditation and was denied access to one of those supposedly private areas. “The question is, are we tennis players or are we animals in the zoo, where they are observed even when they poop?

“Okay, that was exaggerating obviously, but it would be nice to have some privacy. It would be nice also to have your own process and not always be observed,” she said. “It would be good to have your own process and not be watched all the time. In other sports, you have technical things to take care of. It would be nice to have some space to do that without everyone watching. At Wimbledon there are courts where people with accreditation can be there without fans. There are tournaments where that’s impossible and you’re constantly observed. I don’t think it should be that way because we’re tennis players. You see us on court, at press conferences – that’s our job. Not to be a meme because you forgot your accreditation. It’s funny and people have something to talk about, but for us it’s not necessary.”

Later, Jessica Pegula also weighed in, after beating fellow American Amanda Anisimova. “I’m not a fan of the cameras. I saw it last night and I was like, oh my God,” she said. “It’s the same as when Aryna lost the final at the US Open in 2023 – I thought, can you just let the girls have a moment? We were talking about cameras years ago. Maddie Keys had stopping this as her number one priority on the players’ council. It’s crazy. I think they ended up putting up signs so people knew there were cameras, but this year it’s even worse. You’re in the gym and there’s a video of me walking into the venue. I saw people who didn’t even know they were being filmed in areas where you don’t think anyone is watching. They’re in every single hallway. Coco wasn’t wrong when she said the only place there aren’t cameras is the locker room, which is insane. I saw online that people were zooming in on players’ phones and things like that. It’s so unnecessary. It’s a real invasion of privacy. The only time you’re not being filmed is when you shower or go to the bathroom. I think that’s something we definitely need to scale back. People post it online, take it out of context or judge you for a moment that should be private.”

‘Next step: cameras in the showers’

Finally, another authoritative voice on the tour – Novak Djokovic – stepped into the debate.

“I see with what happened with Coco after her match,” he began. “Look, I empathize with her. I know what it feels like to break a racquet. I’ve done it a few times in my career. I know how it is to be frustrated, particularly after a match where you underperform. And I agree with her. It’s really sad that you can’t move away anywhere and hide and fume out your frustration, your anger.. in a way that won’t be captured by a camera. But we live in a society where content is everything. It’s a deeper discussion. It’s really hard for me to see the trend changing in the opposite direction, meaning we take out cameras. It’s only going to be as it is or even more cameras. I’m surprised we have no cameras while we’re taking a shower. That’s probably the next step.

“I’m against it. I think there should be a limit and a borderline where this is our space. But people, commercially, there’s always a demand. How players warm up, what do they say when they speak to their coaches, what’s their cool down… they wanna see us arriving in the car and walking through corridors. You gotta be careful. I remember the time when we didn’t have so many cameras. Getting used to having an eye that you don’t hear that you sometimes forget about, always on you, is frightening. At times you wanna relax and be yourself in a sense that you don’t want the public to see. It’s really hard for me to see that that’s going backwards. It’s just something I guess we have to accept.”

In a more measured tone, Jannik Sinner shared his thoughts on the camera issue. “We know there are so many cameras and that sometimes things can happen, as we’ve seen,” he said. “We’re athletes and we dedicate our whole lives to being the best version of ourselves. Sometimes defeats hurt, sometimes there’s a reaction and sometimes there isn’t. It’s clear that cameras are there, especially at Grand Slams, and I don’t want to get into too many judgments, but sometimes things happen that maybe we don’t want people to see – and this time we saw that. I also understand the frustration. As a tennis player, I know certain things happen. She’s been on tour for a long time, never says a word out of line, so she’s a good person.”

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