Fans divided over Sabalenka racquet smash footage: Should it have been private?

Following her defeat in the US Open final to Coco Gauff, footage has emerged of Aryna Sabalenka smashing a racquet in the changing rooms after the trophy ceremony.

The video paints a spectacular image of just how much the match meant to Sabalenka, and how frustrating the loss was, with the Belarusian at one stage going up one set to love against Gauff, before spraying a total of 46 unforced errors to lose the final 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

However, many tennis fans are questioning whether the footage should be public at all, arguing that Sabalenka’s racquet smash was a private moment, not meant to be shared for views online.

Should Sabalenka’s racquet smash have been private?

As the brief video of Aryna Sabalenka shows, the 26-year-old places down her bag with the runner up plate on top of it, reaches inside to retrieve a racquet, and smashes it several times on the ground, before walking over to the bin and throwing the mangled racquet in the trash.

Several X users have commented that Sabalenka most likely believed this was a private moment, and was the best way for her to express her emotion following the loss.

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Judy Murray, Andy Murray’s mother, said:

“This footage should never have been made public. A private moment in an empty training room after the disappointment of losing a Grand Slam final.”

While Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, a women’s rights activist, also commented on the matter, stating, “I don’t understand why a private moment of Aryana Sabalenka expressing frustration at losing #USOpen Grand Slam final is being shared publicly. Totally wrong. I totally get her smashing the racket & binning it. It’s natural to be disappointed & upset. Better this than screaming.”

Others have weighed in on the video being posted, saying that it is unfair scrutiny on Sabalenka, and drawing parallels to past footage of Andrey Rublev crying in the locker room following a loss to Novak Djokovic in 2022.

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