Coco Gauff’s Australian Open ended in frustration, but the response that followed was one of widespread support. The American was stunned by Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in a straight-sets loss at the 2026 tournament. As the match unraveled under the closed roof at Rod Laver Arena, what went viral was her racket-smash moment, which prompted Gauff to later address both the backlash and her emotions in a candid Instagram post.
Coco Gauff Makes Feelings Known As Hezly Rivera, Alexis Holmes, And Others Cheer Her Up
Facing the 12th seed, Svitolina, Gauff found herself on the back foot almost immediately as the Ukrainian controlled the tempo with depth and disciplined shot-making. At Rod Laver Arena, Svitolina’s relentless returns and baseline pressure knocked Gauff out of rhythm, forcing early breaks of serve and stalling any chance for the American to build momentum. The imbalance showed on the scoreboard, as Svitolina wrapped up a swift 59-minute upset, winning 6-1, 6-2.
After the match, Gauff was seen smashing her racket in frustration, a scene that later went viral on social media. While some fans criticized the player for not being a sport, many supported her after she issued a clarification post on Instagram.
As she regained her composure, Gauff shared some snaps from the match on her Instagram account, as she wrote in the caption:
“Living and learning. But still will keep trying to move forward. Also, im a real person with real feelings… I care a lot & im trying my best. Thank you to those who understand that🧡”
Several celebrities and Olympic athletes showed their support for Gauff. The Instagram page of WTA immediately responded by sending green heart emojis in the comment section, while Olympic champion Alexis Holmes wrote in the comment section,
“Proud of you girl! You are so so talented💗✨ keep going!”
Sports entrepreneur, Serena Williams’ husband and co-founder of ATHLOS, Alexis Ohanian, also chipped in with the following comment,
“You got this. You’re doing it all right.”
“still that GIRL”
Olympic gymnastics champion Hezly Rivera wrote,
“you’re amazing!! 🔥”
Gauff enters 2026 as the world No. 3. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, representing Team USA, she turned in a solid showing despite falling short of the podium, exiting in the third round of singles and reaching the mixed doubles quarterfinals alongside Taylor Fritz before the pair ultimately finished without a medal. The 21-year-old’s career is already highlighted by Grand Slam titles at the 2023 US Open and 2025 French Open, as well as the 2024 French Open women’s doubles crown and a previous rise to world No. 1 in doubles.
