I don’t follow tennis closely and generally know little about individual  players, but the media make it difficult to ignore some players. One such player is Coco Gauff, who at 15 was seen as a tennis prodigy; in her first year ‘on the circuit’ she beat two of the world’s leading players at ‘Grand Slam’ events – Wimbledon in England, and Flushing Meadow in the USA. 

Now aged 21, Coco is playing at the highest level. As a singles player she has already won two Grand Slam tournaments (US Open, 2023; French Open 2025) and was ranked at world number three with a good chance of winning the recent Melbourne Open. By the quarter final stage at Melbourne things were going well as she had made her way up through 120 starters to reach the last eight. However, in her quarter-final, against all predictions, she was easily beaten by a player ranked well below her. 

In her immediate post-match interview a sad and disappointed Coco gave credit to her opponent who had played well and told how she herself had suffered an ‘off’ day. These things happen!

In normal circumstances, the coverage of the result next day in the media would have been limited. This time, however, something happened after the match that attracted particular attention. As she went back to the locker room she had a temper tantrum and, unbeknownst to her, she was filmed on closed-circuit television walking down an empty corridor and then stopping to smash her racket repeatedly on the concrete floor leaving it a broken and mangled wreck (see illustration).  

Importantly, in response to journalists’ questions about the incident at a subsequent press conference, she said that it was not the first time that she had lost her temper and had smashed a racket – she was a passionate person. On this occasion, however, knowing she was angry and upset and that she might ‘lose her cool’, she decided that rather than take it out on those around her, it would be better to target her racket, smashing it in private and out of the public view. From her perspective, she would have expected her privacy to be respected. With this in mind, she regretted that her actions had been filmed and seen widely but accepted that the behaviour is indeed part of her. It was her way of dealing with upset and should be respected. At the press conference, there was certainly no apology.

It was the image of Coco smashing her racket that inspired this blog, an event which at first sight I saw as deplorable, indeed, reprehensible even unforgivable, but about which I have gradually become less judgmental. In many ways such behaviour from a competitor in her position who has just lost a dream could well be seen as measured and, in the circumstances acceptable. 

Let me explain. I come from a position in which having a tantrum, losing control and risking hurting someone or worse is plain wrong.  It is also both worrying and frightening. Indeed, for me, being in control of my own actions whatever the circumstances and not causing hurt are ideals that I have always held very dear. Accordingly, simply seeing adults lose their temper and shout at or smack a child is very disturbing.  I once felt shaky long after being manhandled by a burly building-site manager who had lost his temper with me after an altercation when he was definitely in the wrong!

The risks of harm from those who lose control can be very real. In the UK, tantrums in the form of ‘road rage’ result each year in over 4000 casualties and 143 deaths. And more commonly, in couples where domestic violence occurs, perpetrators often seek out circumstances that precipitate their tantrums and then go on to hit, slap, punch, kick and in extreme instances murder their partner. 

But my intense dislike of anger and of any degree of loss of control overlooks those occasions where such behaviour is common, important and even ‘natural’. We have all raised our voices, been rude or walked away in response to someone, sometimes close, who we see as being hurtful or upsetting. While often it is behaviour that we regret and may even be followed by an apology, the intention at the time is to help set things to right. 

I now see Coco Gauff’s ‘private’ racket-smashing tantrum as understandable and, in the circumstances, as just about acceptable. However,  I do feel that such behaviour reflects a weakness and wish it had never happened. 

The illustration shows CCTV ‘stills’ taken of Coco Gauff smashing her tennis racket on the floor in a corridor near the locker rooms after losing in the Melbourne Open Tennis Championship. 

For helping write this blog, I would like to thank Elona, Alan, Rohan and Vivien.