Gauff talks about Roland Garros' decision not to put cameras in private areas

Pedro de Pablos | 26 May 2026 | 18.33

Gauff talks about Roland Garros' decision not to put cameras in private areas.

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Coco Gauff has laid the groundwork to defend her Roland Garros 2026 title, following her victory in 2025 by overpowering her compatriot Taylor Townsend. Later, during her press conference, the American tennis player also addressed the decision not to place cameras in common areas to avoid controversies like those that occurred at the Australian Open.

In the first Grand Slam of the year, Gauff made headlines when the tournament posted a video of her breaking a racket after losing to Elina Svitolina, which she strongly criticized for the lack of privacy players had in private areas. In fact, many players on the tour came to her defense, and Roland Garros has taken steps to prevent such a situation from happening again in Paris.

Gauff explains why she performs so well on clay and in hot conditions

Match against Townsend

Obviously, Taylor gave me a great start. I think I was a bit too passive at the beginning, a bit nervous entering, but once I got to 3-1 or something, I felt pretty confident from then on.

Facing a friend

Well, it's definitely not that different. When you win, you're like, 'damn...'. But obviously, we're two competitors, so we go out and can put the personal side aside.

Continuing practice when Townsend went to the bathroom

I usually do that when my opponents go to the bathroom. So yes, I kept the routine, and at that moment, I didn't think it would affect me physically, but I don't do it all the time.

Roland Garros' decision not to place cameras in common areas and apologies from the Australian Open

I didn't receive any apology, as far as I know. I know the WTA sent something, but they are obviously different from the Grand Slams, they just wanted to reiterate and were going to talk to the Grand Slams about private areas. I felt like it sparked a debate because then I saw Carlos Alcaraz talking about it. I think it has been a silent issue between players and tournaments for a while, and when that happened, it made it a bit more public.

Roland Garros does a good job with the cameras. I personally haven't had experiences where they have broadcasted something emotional or anything like that. I'm sure I've been crying in that gym before and they've never broadcasted it. Sometimes they have their own recording, and you have the option to opt for that, or you can say to her personally, I don't want to be recorded now. And she says, no problem.

Criticisms of the Australian Open and potential changes

I think the issue was specifically with Australia. Almost all private areas outside the room are recorded, so you have nowhere to go. And some of the cameras look like security cameras, not necessarily broadcasting cameras. I in the Australian Open thought they had control over what they broadcast and don't broadcast, and then it turns out they don't, so I don't know what happened with that.

I definitely think having a signal, or even cameras having like a small light when it's red or a red light, or something when you're potentially being broadcasted, could be something different. At least I'm glad to have sparked this discussion, but also some people messaged me thinking I was afraid everyone saw me break a racket... Guys, they do it like every two days, so I'm fine.

Ease of playing on clay

Honestly, I have grown up and been coming to Europe since I was 10 to play on clay courts, and I think due to those experiences every year and them teaching me how to slide, it felt very natural, so I definitely think I had a different growth than most American players. I got used to playing on clay. I've never felt like most American players; for me, it's all very natural.

Ease of playing in extreme heat

Honestly, it's fun. I think playing in heat suits me because I grew up in Florida and I know some people try to practice early in the morning, but I sometimes try to practice during the day, even if it's shorter, to adapt. I think maybe that's why many players are struggling because honestly at the Miami Open it's also very hot, but I think some people are struggling because we went through the whole European swing without playing in hot conditions and suddenly it's very hot.

Pressure as the champion and upcoming match against Mayar Sherif

I had thoughts like, 'what if I lose?', especially when Taylor broke me today. I felt she came out playing very good tennis, and I felt if she kept playing like that and wins a match like that deserving to win, I could go home peacefully for not having given enough. That would have been very different in the past. As for Sherif, I think I played against her in Cincinnati three years ago, I know she's a fighter, and she plays many long matches, so maybe we'll have a long match.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Gauff habla de la decisión de Roland Garros de no poner cámaras en las áreas privadas