Are tennis players being treated like zoo animals? Iga Świątek thinks so

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Iga Świątek picked up a theme that Coco Gauff left the Australian Open with after the 21-year-old American’s racket-smashing, frustration-releasing moments away from the court went viral.

Gauff said a “conversations needs to had” about the seemingly limitless access-all-areas cameras that track players from the locker room to the court and just about everywhere in between.

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After her 7-5, 6-1 quarterfinal loss to fifth-seeded Elena Rybakina on Wednesday, Świątek was asked how she feels about the lack of off-camera areas for the players and what she thinks should the balance between entertainment, constant content and player privacy.

“Yeah, the question is, are we tennis players, or are we, like, animals in the zoo where they are observed even when they poop, you know?” she said, apologizing slightly for the latter reference. “OK, that was exaggerating obviously, but it would be nice to have some privacy.

“It would be nice also to, I don’t know, have your own process and not always be, like, observed.”

Świątek and Gauff are two of the top three players in women’s tennis, so it stands to reason they’ll be more in focus at the tournament.

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Vision of Świątek being stopped by security after forgetting her credential became a meme. She’s won four French Open titles as well as Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. But security is, well, security.

Fan engagement encouraged

The off-court camera surveillance occurs at other tournaments and isn’t confined to the Australian Open, where organizers have created a three-week festival around the season-opening major by incorporating all kinds of fan engagement activities.

The vision from the non-public areas stadium isn’t always broadcast, but players don’t need reminding that some moments that get captured will turn up on the internet for being cute, informative or just outright dramatic.

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No. 2-ranked Świątek said there were parts of her game she’d like to practice immediately before walking out for a match and “it would be nice to have some space where you can do that without the whole world…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/tennis-players-being-treated-zoo-040707662.html

Author : JOHN PYE

Publish date : 2026-01-28 04:07:00

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