In a sport where emotions often spill over under global scrutiny, one WTA tournament is experimenting with a bold idea to protect players’ mental space. The ATX Open in Austin, Texas, has introduced a dedicated “rage room”, a private, camera-free zone designed to help players release frustration away from public view.
The move follows renewed conversations around player privacy after Coco Gauff’s emotional exit at the Australian Open earlier this year. After a 59-minute quarterfinal defeat to Elina Svitolina at Melbourne Park, Gauff repeatedly smashed her racket in the match call area, unaware that the moment was being broadcast worldwide.
The incident reignited debate within the tennis community about how much access cameras should have beyond the court. Several leading players, including Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek, publicly called for greater off-court privacy for athletes dealing with intense emotional moments.
Against that backdrop, organisers in Austin decided to act. “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 WTA 250 tournament posted on its social media platforms.
The announcement was accompanied by visuals featuring a broken racket and a sign instructing players with phrases like “don’t smile” and “count to three,” underscoring the intent to normalise emotional release without spectacle.
While many fans praised the initiative as a progressive step toward safeguarding players’ mental health, others questioned whether providing a designated space for destruction might encourage physical expressions of anger.
The concept has also appeared elsewhere in tennis, though with a very different audience. At the Dubai Tennis Championships, organisers recently installed a “Smash Room” truck- this time aimed at fans rather than players. Chinese player Shang Juncheng was invited to try it on camera.
“I smashed a few items, including DVDs and big containers,” he said. “It’s loud, and it’s intense, but in a good way. You get everything out of your system in there instead of taking that frustration onto the court,” he added.
As elite sport continues to grapple with the balance between entertainment, access, and athlete well-being, Austin’s experiment may signal a broader shift, one that allows players to be human, without being watched.
