'Rage room' and 'smash room': How tennis tournaments are helping players let off steam amid Coco Gauff incident and Novak Djokovic comments
Published 26/02/2026 at 13:37 GMT
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There has been talk about giving players more privacy at tournaments following the Australian Open, where Coco Gauff thought she had chosen a private area to smash her racquet, but instead it was broadcast to everyone watching. Two tournaments have come up with potential solutions where players can vent their frustration: a 'rage room' at the ATX Open and a 'smash room' in Dubai.
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Tennis can be a very frustrating sport.
Players often vent that frustration by shouting, looking up to the heavens, cursing themselves, or smashing their racquets.
At the Australian Open earlier this year, Coco Gauff opted to wait until she was off the court to let loose on her racquet following her 59-minute quarter-final loss to Elina Svitolina.
Gauff thought she had chosen a private area on the way to the locker room to smash her racquet, but instead it was filmed and broadcast to everyone watching.
That led to calls for players to be given more privacy at tournaments, with Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek - the latter likening players to "animals in a zoo" - among those suggesting there should be changes.
Two tournaments have now come up with potential solutions.
The ATX Open in Austin, Texas, has set up a ‘rage room’, which is a private space for players to take out any frustrations.
The tournament posted on X: "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 accompanying photo appears to be inside a gazebo with a poster showing a broken racquet and phrases such as ‘Count to three’, ‘I believe in you’, and ‘You can do this’.
In Dubai, players have had the chance to try out a ‘Smash Room’ truck.
The experience sees players get dressed in a boiler suit and then go into a truck and smash various items with heavy tools.
"It was a really fun experience," said ATP pro Shang Juncheng after trying it out.
"You don’t get to do something like this very often, so it was great to try it out. It helps release energy and clear your head before going on court.
"I smashed a few items, including some DVDs and big containers. It’s loud and intense, but in a good way - you get everything out your system in there instead of taking that frustration on to the court."
Shang added that off-court experiences during a tournament can help players "unwind."
"I think it helps you feel lighter," Shang said. "As long as you stay in control when you’re playing, it’s a nice way to unwind. I’d never done anything like this before, so it was a great experience."
Djokovic said at the Australian Open that he is "against" players being filmed at every step during tournaments.
"It’s really sad that you can’t move away anywhere and hide and fume out your frustration, your anger, in a way that won’t be captured by a camera," Djokovic bemoaned.
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Watch as Gauff smashes her racquet after shock defeat to Svitolina
Video credit: TNT Sports
"But we live in a society where content is everything. It’s a deeper discussion. It’s really hard for me to see the trend changing in the opposite direction, meaning we take out cameras.
"It’s only going to be as it is or even more cameras. I’m surprised we have no cameras while we’re taking a shower. That’s probably the next step.
"I’m against it. I think there should be a limit and a borderline where this is our space. You gotta be careful. I remember the time when we didn’t have so many cameras.
"Getting used to having an eye that you don’t hear that you sometimes forget about, always on you, is frightening. At times you wanna relax and be yourself in a sense that you don’t want the public to see."
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