The French Open will not replicate the notorious Australian Open panopticon.
The Grand Slam tournament will not add any more backstage cameras, tournament director Amélie Mauresmo said last week at a press conference. The tournament will continue to have designated private, camera-free backstage areas even as broadcasters continue to seek additional backstage access to the players across tennis tournaments.
“We really want to maintain respect for the players’ privacy,” Mauresmo said in French. “It’s something we will not change this year in terms of any cameras that we can add.”
Several players complained about the backstage cameras at the Australian Open in January after Coco Gauff was caught smashing her racket in a backstage area.
Gauff believed she was away from public view.
“Certain moments … I feel like they don’t need to broadcast,” Gauff said after her quarterfinals loss. “I tried to go somewhere where I thought there wasn’t a camera because I don’t necessarily like breaking rackets.”
Many other players sided with Gauff. Iga Świątek compared the experience to being an animal in the zoo.
In response to the players’ complaints, the Austin Open, a WTA 250 event in February, added a “Rage Room,” an area free from cameras for players to let out their frustrations. The idea originated from tennis stars Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys.
The French Open will also be the first Grand Slam to allow previously banned wearables like Whoop. Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka were among several players who were asked to remove the device at the Australian Open.
“We want to provide the players with the best possible experience and we listen to their requests,” said Mauresmo. “Once again, the aim is to improve players’ performance.”
