Austin WTA tournament sets up 'rage room' for players

Gauff
Coco Gauff's meltdown at the Australian Open led to the creation of a rage room. -AAP Image

A WTA tournament in Texas has unveiled a "rage room" for players to take out their frustrations away ‌from the cameras after Coco Gauff's racket-smashing outburst at the Australian Open ‌last month sparked debate about privacy at tournaments.

Shortly after Gauff's 59-minute quarter-final ‌loss to Elina Svitolina at Melbourne Park, the American went to the match call area and repeatedly smashed her racket on the ground, unaware it was being broadcast to viewers around the world.

Novak Djokovic ‌and Iga ‌Swiatek were ⁠among the players calling for more privacy off ​the court following the incident.

The ATX Open in Austin, Texas, has come up with a solution.

"Introducing the ATX Open rage room - the first of its kind - where players can privately express frustration or emotion in a ⁠safe, camera-free environment," the WTA 250 ‌tournament ​posted on its social media platforms.

The post also featured a sign ​with the words "don't ‌smile" and "count to three" along with a broken racket.

While reaction online ​was largely positive, some questioned whether the room would encourage players to vent their frustrations in a physical manner.

Dubai Tennis ​Championships ​organisers set up a "Smash ​Room" truck for fans this week, ‌with Chinese player Juncheng Shang invited to try it out in front of the cameras.

"I smashed a few items, including DVDs and big containers," he said. "It's loud and it's intense but in a good ​way. You get everything out of your system in there instead ​of taking that ⁠frustration onto the court."