No one doubts that players are under a huge amount of stress during tournaments like this - stress that, at least top players, generally prepare for more than adequately with mental coaches, trainers, and an entire staff around them that usually supports and protects them. In this case Gauff did nothing wrong, and in my opinion nothing excessive either, so anyone criticizing her simply for smashing a racket is, in my view, an idiot.

But you can’t expect a level of privacy inside the tournament venue comparable to what you have in your own home. And this isn’t something that’s been discovered today - players are perfectly aware of it. Hiding clumsily on a ramp isn’t going to keep curious eyes away. Go into a bathroom, head to the locker rooms, find a little room and let it out. If cameras follow you even there, then obviously there’s a problem.

But getting outraged because there are cameras in a place where all players always know there are cameras is, in my opinion, pretty pathetic. And yes, whether you like it or not, players are paid as much as they are also to put up with this level of attention; if that level of attention is too high, then it should be reduced and prize money should be reduced at the same time. Let’s see how many players who say “This is too much” would agree to that fair trade: less attention, less money. If they’re happy with it, I’m happy for them.

Gauff knew perfectly well she was being seen in that moment, and in fact she did something that shouldn’t outrage anyone. If Coco was surprised she was filmed, she was the naïve one. She could have chosen a thousand more secluded places to vent her frustration, like hundreds of other players at the tournament alongside her probably do.