Serena Williams Offers to Teach Coco Gauff 'How to Demolish' Her Tennis Racket After Australian Open Controversy Skyler CarusoJanuary 28, 2026 at 10:35 PM 0 Serena Williams (left) and Coco Gauff (right). Emilee Chinn/Athlos/Getty; Phil Walter/Getty Serena Williams spoke out in support of Coco Gauff after she smashed her racket in frustration at the Australian Open on Jan.
- - Serena Williams Offers to Teach Coco Gauff 'How to Demolish' Her Tennis Racket After Australian Open Controversy
Skyler CarusoJanuary 28, 2026 at 10:35 PM
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Serena Williams (left) and Coco Gauff (right).
Emilee Chinn/Athlos/Getty; Phil Walter/Getty
Serena Williams spoke out in support of Coco Gauff after she smashed her racket in frustration at the Australian Open on Jan. 27
The tennis legend posted a tweet in response to her husband, Alexis Ohanian, who also defended the 21-year-old athlete
Gauff was eliminated from the tournament after losing to Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals
Serena Williams knows the feeling.
The legendary tennis star, widely regarded as the G.O.A.T. of the sport, showed her support for Coco Gauff after the 21-year-old athlete went viral for smashing her racket following her frustrating loss at the Australian Open on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
"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," the 23-time Grand Slam champion wrote on X later that day.
Coco Gauff reacts during match against Elina Svitolina at the Australian Open 2026.
Clive Brunskill/Getty
Williams, who announced her retirement from professional tennis in August 2022, shared her post in response to one shared by her husband, Alexis Ohanian. He stepped up for Gauff, too, along with a screenshot of the slew of headlines that called the young star out for smashing her racket.
"NGL I love this energy and emotion from @CocoGauff — we love sports because it's raw, because these athletes put their ALL into the battle and sometimes (like life) you don't win. Media are gonna spin this private moment for a headline to get some clicks, but Coco did nothing wrong here," he wrote in his post.
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 made headlines after she was caught on camera breaking her racket following her loss in the quarterfinal round of the Australian Open to Elina Svitolina in straight sets, and rued the fact that the "emotional" outburst was shared on television.
"Certain moments — the same thing happened to Aryna [Sabalenka] after I played her in the final of the US Open — I feel like they don't need to broadcast," Gauff said after the match. "I tried to go somewhere where I thought there wasn't a camera because I don't necessarily like breaking rackets."
Serena Williams smashes her racquet in frustration during the women's singles final of the 2017 Australian Open.
Jason Heidrich/Icon Sportswire via Getty
She added, "I broke one racket [at the] French Open, I think, and I said I would never do it again on court because I don't feel like that's a good representation. So, yeah, maybe some conversations can be had."
In the broadcast clip, Gauff — who wore a neon orange tennis dress — walked in the inner hallways of the tennis stadium away from public view and positioned herself behind a low barrier, before repeatedly slamming her racket into the concrete floor.
The reigning French Open champ made 26 unforced errors in the match against Svitolina, and was victorious in only two out of 11 points on her second serve.
Coco Gauff in action against Elina Svitolina during the quarterfinals of the 2026 Australian Open.
Mark Avellino/Anadolu via Getty
After the match, Gauff said she sought out an off-court spot to vent her frustrations, in part to do it away from her team.
"They're good people... They don't deserve that, and I know I'm emotional. So, yeah, I just took the minute to go and do that," she said. "I don't think it's a bad thing. Like I said, I don't try to do it on court in front of kids and things like that, but I do know I need to let out that emotion."
Gauff also posted a few photos of herself in an Instagram post the day after her loss. She paired it with an inspirational caption, subtly hinting at the noise about her in the headlines.
"living and learning. but still will keep trying to move forward," she wrote, adding, "also, im a real person with real feelings… i care a lot & im trying my best. thank you to those who understand that🧡."
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: January 28, 2026 at 11:46PM on Source: ANDY MAG
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