Coco Gauff also took her superb tournament and progressed into the quarter finals after her victory against her challenger. It is of little wonder that the young tennis star reviled for her colourful gameplay and panache in personal life was over the moon, albeit briefly, by the news about her success but as much was cut-short by recent announcement that TikTok was to be banned in United States.
Lessons Learnt in Court
Gauff was at her best as she won her match in straight sets with a good serve that starred her as well as her aggressive groundstrokes. This is as far as she has ever come in this Australian Open and makes her one of the rising talents in this sport.
‘I am really pleased with how I played today,’ Gauff said in an interview after the match. I’ve been practicing a lot on the consistent rehearsals and I see the results. It is awesome, I feel like I am in good rhythm and therefore, all I have to do is focus most of the time.
But there was a hint of sadness in Gauff’s victory speech as she spoke about the recent TikTok ban in the United States. This was one of many places where she would interact with her fans and give some insight into her life.
“It’s sad,” Gauff said. TikTok has been such a significant component of how I interact with other people and even how I create content. Please don’t think that I was just fooling around with that app it was a way of bonding being jovial and showing a bit of a different side of me. This is regrettable because it is no longer around.”
The Biden administration has recently made an effort to ban Tiktok across the country based on data privacy issues alongside connections to its Chinese owner ByteDance. Many of the users, including celebrities and influencers, complained about losing the platform.
Fans React
Gauff’s remarks have been appreciated by fans as many of them, on social media, expressed support for her and expressed their frustration regarding the ban of TikTok.
“Coco is so relatable,” said one fan in a tweet. “She’s dominating at the Australian Open and still finds time to talk about TikTok. Love her!”
Another wrote, “She’s right—it’s not just an app. For a lot of people, it’s been a creative outlet and a way to connect. This ban feels like a loss.”
Despite her initial disappointment, however, Gauff remains focused on her next challenge: facing one of the favorites in a competition to reach a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time in her career. Her candid and reflective insights behind the scenes on the court can only further endear her to more fans around the world.
“I’ll miss TikTok, but for now, my focus is on the tournament,” Gauff said. “I’m just trying to take it one match at a time.”
