This is not something tennis fans are accustomed to seeing. An out-of-sorts Coco Gauff was spotted smashing her racquet after her Australian Open quarterfinal loss to Elina Svitolina.
The loss happened in less than an hour, and Gauff won just three games.
Gauff looked tense and uncomfortable from the start, and ESPN’s Caroline Wozniacki commented that even in warmups, while Svitolina was smiling and laughing, Gauff looked stern.
Those prematch demeanors carried on to the court as Svitolina cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 win.
Gauff is traditionally very composed in victory or defeat, but she took out her anger on her racquet in the locker room where cameras were perched.
What Coco Gauff Did
Coco Gauff releases her frustrations after a disappointing defeat in the Australian Open quarter-finals 💥 pic.twitter.com/4Ur9jlxR0P
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) January 27, 2026
No one likes to see Gauff this unhinged, and hopefully, the emotional release will put the tough loss behind her.
Gauff is the defending French Open champion, a two-time Grand Slam singles champion, and a Grand Slam doubles champion.
She is one of women’s tennis’s best players both in terms of tennis and character.
Her serve has been an Achilles heel in the past nine months, and she fired some of her coaching staff while preparing for the US Open.
It is still a work in progress, and undoubtedly a source of frustration.
Coco Gauff Match Stats
Though her serve was problemmatic, it was the unforced errors that tilted the match in favor of Svitolina.
Coco Gauff today:
Winners – 3
Unforced Errors – 26
Aces – 0
Double Faults – 5
First Serve Won – 41%
Second Serve Won – 18%
Max Games Won In Row – 1
Games Won – 3
Break Points Saved – 14% (1/7)🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/nMUshsIxq9
— TENNISCentel (@TennisCentel) January 27, 2026
Gauff had 5 doubles faults and 26 unforced errors.
Her uncharacteristic emotional outburst was not bothersome to the legions of fans who love Coco.
However, they want Gauff to remember that she is a generational talent who is only 21 years old that had a bad day at the office.
Someone tell Coco to remember who she is. Of course you gonna have off days but body language is everything. You’re #3 in the world. A generational talent. You belong here. Doesn’t matter what the score is, off day, W or L, you gotta move like it! Never forget, you’re Coco Gauff!
— Rob Lyrical (@roblyrical) January 27, 2026
What Coco Gauff Said About Racquet Smashing Incident
Gauff said she needed to release her emotions and not on the people around her. She did not do it on court in front of spectators, some of whom are kids.
Coco Gauff was asked if smashing her racquet after her loss to Svitolina helps her move on
“Is there part of you that thinks it’s healthy to just smash that racquet and get that loss over and done with? Does it help you move on?”
Coco: “Yeah, definitely. I think for me, I know… pic.twitter.com/5i99mYyHwz
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 27, 2026
Earlier in the day, Iva Jovic lost in straight sets to Aryna Sabalenka.
With five American women in the Round of 16, two remain in the draw: Amanda Anisimova and Jessica Pegula. They meet in the quarterfinal on Tuesday night beginning at 9:00 PM EST.
