Novak Djokovic said he sympathized with Coco Gauff and criticized the camera culture in tennis. Gauff was seen smashing her racket in anger following her loss to Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open on Tuesday, January 27, when the American star was caught on camera.
The video went viral and Gauff had to defend herself by choosing to backstage to vent her anger and not have a public outburst. The 21-year-old also said she feels players don’t have much privacy at tournaments.
Swiatek came to support Gauffwhen she criticized the intense backstage coverage of the Australian Open. Now Djokovic has given his verdict on the situation. The former world number one said she understood Gauff’s frustration as players’ privacy often tends to be invaded during major tournaments.
Djokovic joked that he was surprised cameras weren’t installed in the players’ showers because he doesn’t see the current culture going away anytime soon.
“I understand what happened to Coco after her match. Look, I feel for her. I know what it’s like to break a racket. I’ve done it a few times in my career. I know what it’s like to be frustrated, especially after a match where you don’t perform. And I agree with her. It’s really sad that you can’t go away and hide and hide your anger. But we live in a society where the deeper discussion is really hard for me to see the trend going the other way meaning it’s just going to be the way it is or even more cameras I’m surprised if we shower it’s probably going to be the next step.
Why does Djokovic embrace camera culture?
Djokovic says he is against the camera culture but accepts players will have to be careful as he doesn’t feel things will go backwards.
“I’m against it. I think there should be boundaries and limits where it’s our space. But people, commercially, the demand is always there. How the players warm up, what they say when they talk to their coaches, how they calm down, they want to see us come to the car and walk down the corridors. You have to be careful. I remember a time when we didn’t have so many eyes that we sometimes forget that you have so many eyes and cameras. always on you, it’s scary that sometimes you want to relax and be yourself in the sense that you don’t want the public to see it, it’s really hard for me to see that it’s something we have to accept,” Djokovic said.
Djokovic got a lucky break in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open as Lorenzo Musetti had to withdraw due to injury after winning the first two sets.
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Published on:
January 28, 2026
