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The spotlight of playing on centre court shouldn’t be following tennis stars behind the scenes, says World No. 2 Iga Swiatek.
The Polish tennis superstar is the latest to join the chorus of criticism over how behind-the-scenes footage is being broadcast for all to see at the Australian Open.
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The calls for more player privacy were sparked by an incident involving Coco Gauff on Tuesday. After losing her quarterfinal match to Elina Svitolina in 59 minutes, Gauff went viral after her post-match meltdown was caught on camera – unbeknownst to the American star.
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Gauff later said that she was unhappy that there was no privacy anywhere except the locker room.
What did Swiatek say?
Swiatek echoed Gauff’s frustration, comparing tennis players at the Aussie Open to animals in a zoo.
“The question is, are we tennis players or are we animals in the zoo, where they are observed even when they poop?” Swiatek told reporters after her quarterfinal loss to Elena Rybakina on Wednesday.
“OK, 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.”
Amanda Anisimova also said she felt players did not have much privacy at the tournament, saying that she “kept my head down” until she reached the locker room.
“There are good moments obviously that people see and that’s fun. Then, when you lose, there are probably not-so-good moments,” Anisimova said.
“The video of Coco that was posted, it’s tough because she didn’t have a say in that.”
Constantly being filmed
Jessica Pegula said that she feels that the off-court coverage is worse now than it has been in the past and players feel they are being constantly filmed.
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“I was, like, ‘Can you just let the girls have like a moment to themselves?’” Pegula said. “Coco wasn’t wrong when she said the only (safe) place is the locker room, which is crazy. You’re just going about your day.
“I saw online people were zooming in on players’ phones and stuff like that. That’s so unnecessary, I just think it’s really an invasion of privacy.
“We’re on the court on TV. You come inside, you’re on TV. Literally, the only time you’re not being recorded is when you are going to shower and go to the bathroom.”
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Does this happen at other tournaments?
Swiatek noted that this situation seems to be unique to the Australian Open, sharing that other Grand Slams like the French Open and Wimbledon provide sanctuary areas which are off-limits to cameras and fans.
“There are some spaces that you can at least go when you need to. But there are some tournaments where it’s impossible and you are constantly observed, if not by the fans … then by the cameras,” said Swiatek, who went viral earlier in the tournament for being held up by security after forgetting her accreditation.
“For sure, it’s not simple. I don’t think it should be like that because we’re tennis players. We’re meant to be watched on the court and in the press.
“It’s not our job (to) be a meme when you forget your accreditation. Oh, it’s funny, for sure. People have something to talk about, but for us I don’t think it’s necessary.”
Swiatek had some bold words when asked if she has approached tournament’s organizers about the situation, saying: “What’s the point?”
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