The ATX Open authorities took note when Coco Gauff criticised the Australian Open brass and broadcasters for their privacy-breaking act, and they have devised a remedy that can prevent such situations.

On February 24, the ATX Open committee introduced the "ATX Open rage room," where players could express their emotions freely without the fear of being caught on camera. The tournament authorities put out an Instagram post to announce their innovative plan.

Its caption read, "Introducing the ATX Open rage room - the first of its kind - where players can privately express frustration or emotion in a safe, camera-free environment."

This will respond directly to players like Gauff, Novak Djokovic, and Iga Swiatek, who were among many other players who called for advanced off-court privacy. The Austin-based WTA event's “rage room” featured some signs that read, “Don’t smile!”, “Count to 3!”, “You can do this!” and more, along with a broken racket image.

While this move gained positive reactions mainly, some questioned if this could lead to players venting their emotions physically. Regardless, this outlet owes much thanks to Gauff, who was essentially the force behind this innovation.

What Did Coco Gauff Say After Suffering the Privacy-Breach Act?

Gauff’s run at the Australian Open ended after a 6–1, 6–2 defeat by Elina Svitolina. The frustrated 22-year-old looked for a private space and reached the players’ tunnel, where she smashed her racket seven times to vent out her emotions.

While Gauff thought the area was free of cameras, that moment was heavily broadcast, leading the 21-year-old to voice out the privacy concerns in a postgame conference.

“I know myself. I don’t want to lash out at my team. They’re good people. They don’t deserve that”, Gauff said. “I tried to go somewhere where they wouldn’t broadcast, but obviously, they did.”

The American also admitted to having “a thing with the broadcast”. A sentiment that even Djokovic agreed with. The star admitted to having seen “what happened with Coco after her match”.

“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”, he said. “But we live in a society where content is everything. It’s a deeper discussion.”

So, this upgrade by the ATX Open will ease the rising privacy concerns, as well as prove that the WTA cares about its players' grievances.

Would you rate the “rage room” as a positive development?

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Written by

Deblina Roy

Edited by

Souvik Roy