Serena Williams backs rising star Coco Gauff after racket-smashing incident

World tennis great Serena Williams has come to the defence of rising tennis star Coco Gauff after the young American was criticised online for smashing her racket at the Australian Open.

In a social media post, Williams stood with Gauff, saying she was justified in her reaction.

"Nothing wrong with hating to lose," the 23-time Grand Slam champion wrote on social media.

"Now Coco when you want I can show you how to demolish in one swipe… Serena style," she added.

Well said. @alexisohanian Passion. Caring. Matters. Nothing wrong with hating to lose. Now Coco when you want I can show you how to demolish in one swipe… Serena style ? ??‍♀️ https://t.co/OR96AHS8dS

— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) January 28, 2026

Gauff, a 20-year-old Grand Slam champion and one of the top-ranked players in women’s tennis, was captured on camera visibly upset after losing her quarterfinal match in Melbourne. 

The footage showed her breaking her racket as she left the court, a moment that quickly spread across social media.

She had been beaten 6–1, 6–2 by Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, a former world No. 3, bringing her Australian Open campaign to an abrupt end and delaying her push to reach a first final at the tournament.

Following the backlash, Gauff addressed the incident, criticising how emotional moments are often turned into viral clips.

She urged tournament organisers and broadcasters to be more sensitive about player privacy, a stance that sparked wider debate around mental health and pressure in elite sport.

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion and one of the most successful tennis players in history, publicly supported Gauff together with her husband, tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian.

Ohanian, who co-founded social media platform Reddit, praised Gauff’s openness and competitive spirit in a post on X.

“We love sports because it’s raw, because these athletes put their ALL into the battle and sometimes, like life, you don’t win,” he wrote.

Williams echoed that view, stressing that emotional reactions are part of high-level competition and not a sign of weakness.

Gauff rose to global attention as a teenager after reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2019, where she defeated several higher-ranked players at just 15 years old.

She went on to win her first Grand Slam singles title at the 2023 US Open and has since established herself as a consistent contender on the women’s tour, regularly featuring among the world’s top-ranked players.