World No. 1 women’s singles tennis player Aryna Sabalenka likes the idea of a rage room for players competing in major tournaments.
The Belarusian star commented on her views after the concept was introduced at the ATX Open in Austin, Texas. The setup was done after Coco Gauff, most recently, was spotted smashing her racket at the Australian Open 2026 after losing her quarterfinal match. The room offers players a chance to vent out their frustrations in an enclosed space away from the cameras.
Sabalenka feels quite interesting about the concept and says players need a moment to vent out their frustration during participation in major events. Ahead of her participation in the Indian Wells Open 2026, the Belarusian sat down with the reporters and shared her views on the rage room concept.
“Oh, that’s cool; let’s do that. But I think after me there will be nothing to destroy. I would be there the whole day,” she said. Sabalenka revealed that she was stunned by Gauff’s incident after learning that it was not a generated one but it happened in reality.
“That was real? I thought it was AI. My mom sent it to me, and I told her it was AI. She believes so many AI things,” she added.
Meanwhile, Gauff herself agrees with the idea of a rage room setup in tournaments. Her incident at Melbourne Park has sparked concerns over player privacy and the protection of players from the cameras during the heated moments.
“For sure it was inspired by me, I guess. So I’ll take it nicely. If I felt like I needed to let go of some frustration, I would definitely be in the rage room,” Gauff said.
The 21-year-old American will open her campaign at the Indian Wells Open 2026 in the Round of 64 match against Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova. Meanwhile, Sabalenka will play her Round of 64 match against Japan’s Himeno Sakatsume.
The Belarusian is coming off a disappointing campaign at the Australian Open 2026 after losing the finals event against Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina by sets of 4-6, 6-4, 4-6.
