Imago
MIAMI GARDENS FL – MARCH 17: Coco Gauff pictured during Media Day at The 2026 Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 17, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Copyright: xmpi04/MediaPunchx Copyright: xIMAGO/MediaPunchx
Imago
MIAMI GARDENS FL – MARCH 17: Coco Gauff pictured during Media Day at The 2026 Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 17, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Copyright: xmpi04/MediaPunchx Copyright: xIMAGO/MediaPunchx
This year’s Australian Open gave rise to a heated debate on player privacy, and its aftershocks are now forcing a major change at Roland-Garros.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
At the center of it was American star Coco Gauff, as a video of her smashing her racket seven times into a concrete ramp in frustration circulated widely. She was, of course, unhappy about this and criticized the tournament for the lack of privacy. Several players soon came out in her support and demanded better privacy at tennis events. It appears their voices are finally being heard.
The French Open will be the first of the four Grand Slams to ban the use of cameras in the players’ area. Ahead of the second Grand Slam of the year in Paris, competition director Amélie Mauresmo confirmed the development.
Top Stories
“Players need a private area, something which will not change. No cam access,” Mauresmo said during the Roland-Garros pre-tournament press conference.
Additionally, the prize money of the tournament has also been increased by 9.53% as compared to last year. The total prize pool now equates to $72,819,252 (€61,723,000). In comparison, the 2025 edition’s prize pool was $78,266,735 (€66,482,680). The men’s and women’s singles champions will earn approximately $3,296,300 (€2.8 million) each.
Imago
Miami Open Presented by Itau 2026 – March 27 Miami, Florida – March 27: play, react and celebrate during the Womens Singles Final match between Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff of USA on day 12 of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 27, 2026 in Miami, Florida, United States. Copyright: xLatinxSportxImagesx
Coming back, on April 14, Coco Gauff doubled down on the blunt remarks she had made against the Australian Open for not providing players with adequate privacy. She also urged the WTA to use its influence to find a solution.
“The main thing, signs. I think having some sort of control over, like, maybe WTA… It’s on the Grand Slams, so it’s hard for WTA to step in at a Grand Slam event, but obviously they have influence,” she had said during a press conference at the Stuttgart Open.
The 22-year-old has taken a firm stance on the matter and clearly stated that players do not want their private conversations and moments captured by cameras before every match. It is also clear that no player would want fans to have access to what they do backstage before or after a match. Gauff has also received support from Novak Djokovic, Amanda Anisimova, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jessica Pegula on the matter.
“I think just controlling what’s shown and what is not shown. There are many private moments that we have. I pray before every match. I had to tell the cameras to not record that moment because there’s not many gender-neutral areas where we can be,” she added.
While the French Open has decided to strictly restrict the use of cameras in players’ private areas, the ATX Open had a different solution. It created a space where cameras were banned, allowing players to let it all out without being seen. This space was named the ‘Rage Room.’ Players like Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka had shown their support for the idea.
Though some tournaments are trying to improve players’ privacy, others remain hesitant to change despite repeated pleas. One such tournament is Wimbledon.
Wimbledon firmly refuses to change its broadcast setup
The Times reported that Wimbledon has decided not to make any changes to its broadcast setup for the 2026 edition, despite players’ growing concerns about privacy.
Imago
Australian Open – Melbourne Coco Gauff USA during her third match round at the 2026 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, on January 25, 2026. Photo by Corinne Dubreuil/ABACAPRESS.COM Melbourne Australia PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRAxUK Copyright: xDubreuilxCorinne/ABACAx
The report further stated that Wimbledon values the moments that are captured by backstage cameras. But the tournament officials have also confirmed that spaces designated for the players and their teams will not be recorded at all.
“Wimbledon has told players it will not be making any changes to its camera set-up at this year’s championships despite a backlash over behind-the-scenes access at the Australian Open,” Tom Kershaw had noted in The Times.
Though the measures that the French Open has decided to take for player privacy are a step in the right direction, the other three majors have yet to make any changes to their respective broadcast setups.
As the debate over privacy in tennis continues, it remains to be seen whether other tournaments will follow the French Open and take the necessary steps to respect player boundaries.
Written by
Edited by
Deepali Verma