{"id":87585,"date":"2026-02-16T08:29:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T11:29:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/sports-stars-sacred-spaces-and-an-increasingly-bitter-battle-for-privacy\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T08:29:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T11:29:31","slug":"sports-stars-sacred-spaces-and-an-increasingly-bitter-battle-for-privacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/sports-stars-sacred-spaces-and-an-increasingly-bitter-battle-for-privacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Sports stars, \u2018sacred spaces\u2019, and an increasingly bitter battle for privacy"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Coco Gauff could feel it brewing. As she collected her bags and made her way off court after being thoroughly beaten by her Australian Open quarter-final opponent, Elina Svitolina, in just 59 minutes, her insides fizzed with frustration.<\/p>\n

The 21-year-old made it through the tunnel that leads the players onto court and veered left, onto a concrete ramp positioned behind a low wall. Once there, she launched an all-out assault on her racket, slamming it into the ground seven times in quick succession, completely unaware that her every move had been filmed and would swiftly be watched \u2014 and judged \u2014 by millions across television and social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tried to go somewhere where there were no cameras,\u201d Gauff told reporters shortly afterwards<\/a>. \u201cI kind of have a thing with the broadcast. I feel like certain moments \u2014 the same thing happened to Aryna (Sabalenka) after I played her in the final of the U.S. Open \u2014 I feel like they don\u2019t need to broadcast.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gauff\u2019s stance was echoed by fellow WTA Tour players Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula and Iga Swiatek, who only half-jokingly asked<\/a>: \u201cAre we tennis players or are we animals in the zoo where they are observed even when they poop?\u201d<\/p>\n

Male players joined the chorus of dissent. Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam winner and finalist in Melbourne, said it was \u201csad that you can\u2019t move away anywhere and hide and fume out your frustration. But we live\u2026 in times where content is everything\u201d.<\/p>\n

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\n Novak Djokovic shares Coco Gauff\u2019s concerns about privacy (Lintao Zhang\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

At the Australian Open, footage from the players\u2019 zone at Rod Laver Arena has been shown since 2019. That includes the player gym, warm-up area, and the corridor leading out from the locker room.<\/p>\n

Australian Open organisers argue that broadcast cameras are in the areas where players are preparing for their job; where they are warming up and cooling down, arriving to and from court, moving to and from the media centre. They are not in what they consider to be more private areas where competitors relax, such as player restaurants, the nutrition hub, or any of the medical or treatment areas. The locker room areas are also off limits to cameras.<\/p>\n

Tennis Australia CEO and Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley did issue a statement in the aftermath of Gauff\u2019s comments, however, confirming that he will listen to suggestions from players participating in the tournament. \u201cWe want to really understand what their needs and what their wants are,\u201d he said, adding that they would continue to review the setup and make sure that players are comfortable with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut at the same time,\u201d he added, \u201cwe also want to bring the fan and the player closer. We believe, as tennis players, we can really lift up their value and the love the fans have for them. But it\u2019s a fine line that we have to keep walking.\u201d<\/p>\n

That last point is key. In an age when an audience\u2019s demand for access is insatiable, should any athlete expect privacy? And, if so, where should that \u201cfine line\u201d be drawn?<\/p>\n\n

The notion of \u2018warts-and-all\u2019 footage of athletes being packaged and presented for worldwide consumption is hardly a new one.<\/p>\n

Behind-the-scenes sports documentaries are an industry in themselves: HBO\u2019s 24\/7 brought a new insight into the build up to boxing\u2019s biggest fights, NFL series Hard Knocks (also aired on HBO) was sold as television\u2019s \u201cfirst sports-based reality series\u201d, Drive to Survive has been a catalyst for growth in Formula 1\u2019s viewership, and Amazon\u2019s All or Nothing franchise has attempted to take fans of NFL, football, rugby union and NHL into areas they\u2019ve never been before.<\/p>\n

Latterly, there have been documentaries on sports teams as diverse as Wrexham, the Welsh football club whose rise under the Hollywood duo of Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac has been chronicled in the Welcome to Wrexham series, and the Australian cricket team.<\/p>\n

Many of these programmes are subject to the kind of corporate sign-off that ensures they are free of any genuine controversy; the trick, for producers at least, comes in giving the audience the sense that they are genuinely peeking behind the curtain and seeing things the participants would rather they did not.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a relentless drive by rights holders to open up everything, post-Drive to Survive<\/a>,\u201d says Steve Martin, sports and entertainment marketing executive and founder of MSQ Sport and Entertainment. \u201cBut that\u2019s always been the case. Behind-the-scenes has had more value than almost the live moments themselves, and people have realised that. Fans want the insight, they want the anecdotes, they want the gossip.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rights holders and event organisers know the power that lies in these intimate moments. They know they can drive viewership, attendance figures and brand awareness. But Martin says that the \u201cwarts and all\u201d trend at the moment is potentially going too far. \u201cThere are certain things that are sacrosanct and should be left sacrosanct because that creates a mystique,\u201d he adds. \u201cBut at the minute all cards are on the table. And sometimes I think it\u2019s too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tennis attempted to capitalise on the power of those intimate moments with its equivalent to Drive to Survive, Break Point<\/a>, but it was cancelled after two seasons \u2014 largely because top stars balked at the levels of access required of them.<\/p>\n

The question about who gets to decide on the limits to this access is vexed. English football dressing rooms used to be considered sacrosanct spaces, accessible only to the players and their coaches. Exceptions \u2014 such as a now infamous moment in the 1994 independent documentary Orient: Club For a Fiver, when John Sitton, the manager of third-tier Leyton Orient was filmed and ended up challenging one of his players to a fight after a particularly poor defeat \u2014 were memorable precisely because they happened so rarely.<\/p>\n

Now, \u2018access all areas\u2019 films tend to be anything, although that does not mean they do not spark internal tensions.<\/p>\n

When Tottenham Hotspur agreed to their 2019-20 season being chronicled for one of Amazon\u2019s All or Nothing series, former goalkeeper Hugo Lloris said the decision was made without the involvement of the people it impacted the most \u2014 the players.<\/p>\n

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\n Hugo Lloris was unhappy at cameras being given access all areas at Tottenham Hotspur (Julian Finney\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In his book, Hugo Lloris: Earning my Spurs, the French goalkeeper and Tottenham captain says the squad\u2019s struggle to recover from defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League final the previous season was augmented by the decision to install cameras \u201ceverywhere\u201d for the Amazon series.<\/p>\n

He explains that in light of the finances mentioned (around \u00a310million), the players wondered whether those who would be most affected \u2014 those being asked to mic up each day \u2014 would get a cut. \u201cThe answer wasn\u2019t slow in coming,\u201d he wrote. \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Lloris, players did whatever they could to wrest back some control. When the film crew placed their tiny microphones on some of the tables in the canteen, they sat elsewhere. The only place they could speak freely was the training ground dressing room after getting producers to agree that it would remain out of bounds.<\/p>\n

Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham\u2019s manager at the start of that season, was sacked on November 19, with the team 14th in the league \u2014 although the fateful conversation with then-chairman Daniel Levy was conducted off-camera. The Argentine was replaced by Jose Mourinho, who was, according to Lloris, \u201cthe perfect plot twist for Amazon. Jose would allow them to poke their cameras and mics into every corner\u201d.<\/p>\n\n

Decisions about what is considered on and off limits are rarely made by the athletes themselves, especially in team sports. When Manchester United turned down the opportunity for their Amazon documentary<\/a> last summer, the veto was applied by Ruben Amorim, then the club\u2019s head coach. Cynics would suggest it was one of the best decisions he made during his ill-fated reign in charge.<\/p>\n

There is often a financial incentive for opening yourself up to no-holds-barred scrutiny, but what about the costs, particularly when the content being broadcast shows the athlete in a more challenging moment?<\/p>\n

In 2018, Red Bull\u2019s Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen was left incensed with Force India\u2019s Esteban Ocon after the pair came together on lap 44 of the Brazilian Grand Prix. Verstappen had taken the race lead from Lewis Hamilton on lap 40 and was looking to take his second victory in a row when Ocon attempted to unlap himself going into Turn 1.<\/p>\n

The pair engaged in battle and made contact, sending both drivers spinning into the run-off area and allowing Hamilton back past \u2014 a move that led to the world champion securing a 10th win of the season. Verstappen crossed the line in second place, enraged with Ocon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope I can\u2019t find him now in the paddock,\u201d he said over the radio on his cooldown lap, \u201cbecause that guy has a f*****g problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Verstappen did find Ocon, in the FIA weighbridge garage (the drivers\u2019 weighing area) and physically confronted the Frenchman, shoving him three or four times. French TV cameras caught the action and released the footage, which spread like wildfire. F1\u2019s own account on X also shared the footage.<\/p>\n

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High drama after the chequered flag in Brazil on Sunday\u2026#BrazilGP<\/a> 🇧🇷 #F1<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/FLR86HC3Ou<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) November 12, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s not unheard of for cameras to be in that area post-race, but it is considered a more private place than many at an F1 track, given it\u2019s where drivers have to weigh themselves to check compliance with car weight rules.<\/p>\n

Both drivers were subsequently summoned to appear before the stewards to explain their respective parts in the post-race scuffle, with the four-person panel finding that Verstappen\u2019s actions had been in breach of the FIA\u2019s International Sporting Code and he had \u201cfailed\u201d in the obligation of a sportsman of such a level to act as a role model to other drivers. He was ordered to perform two days of public service at the direction of the FIA within six months of the incident.<\/p>\n

If either driver was uncomfortable at their argument being televised to the watching world, they did not mention it at the time, but the knock-on effect on athletes of these moments being broadcast to the public cannot be ignored.<\/p>\n

Denise Lewis, the British Olympic heptathlon champion, describes the use of supposedly \u201csafe spaces\u201d to \u201cfurther entertain or give insight\u201d to people who have likely never experienced elite sport as \u201can invasion of privacy\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like reality TV has infiltrated all sacred spaces,\u201d she adds. \u201cAnd it\u2019s the athletes who come off worse because people are then judging this athlete on a moment of frustration, which probably didn\u2019t last longer than seconds. But now the ramifications of that billow over into news stories and that doesn\u2019t seem fair to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lewis is a keen observer of both tennis and F1 and understands the attraction for viewers of having access to those moments that make it feel like they\u2019re getting \u201cthat extra nugget of intimacy and connection to the sport you\u2019re watching\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we have to be careful we don\u2019t take it too far, where you put the athlete at risk emotionally and mentally, but also could jeopardise ongoing sponsorship,\u201d she said. If people then start to paint a picture of an individual, it could cost them financially.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not only the more heated exchanges that are deemed \u2018good content\u2019. In the case of U.S. middleweight boxer Austin (Ammo) Williams, it was the moment he received the news that no fighter ever wants to hear during fight week: \u201cIt\u2019s off\u201d.<\/p>\n

Williams was due to fight world champion Carlos Adames for the WBC middleweight title, but ahead of the weigh-in the day before the fight, he was told by his promoter, Eddie Hearn, that Adames had been taken to hospital unwell and would not be able to fight.<\/p>\n

Hearn was wearing a microphone for the conversation during which Williams was clearly dismayed, having completed an entire training camp (the cost of which is covered by the fighter) and made weight for the bout, which gave him a shot at his first world title. Hearn is routinely mic\u2019d up by Matchroom\u2019s content team upon arrival at events, but Williams was unaware this particular moment was being filmed. Footage of it was posted across Matchroom\u2019s social media platforms shortly afterwards.<\/p>\n

Sports psychologist Jamil Qureshi agrees that the \u201cintensity of sport is not necessarily realised by the paying public. When people take a penalty, foot fault at an important point in the tournament, or stand over a five-foot putt, which is worth $10million, that requires an intensity of concentration and pressure. And it\u2019s important to be able to do something that resets and recalibrates the stress that people are under. An opportunity for a private space to reset and recalibrate is important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qureshi adds that while much of an athlete\u2019s preparation is done with their team, there are also \u201cmoments where people need to be self-aware or have introspection or go through a routine. It\u2019s pretty hard to do that when you know that someone is watching you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

There is an added layer of tension around athletes who demand privacy when so many are actively giving their fans more behind-the-scenes access than ever on their own social media platforms \u2014 trying to narrow that gap between themselves and their fans on their own terms.<\/p>\n

Fans can now access content shedding light on everything from the kind of steak that fuels Erling Haaland<\/a>, the Manchester City footballer, to the plastic surgery procedures undergone by Simone Biles \u2014 all filmed and sanctioned by the athletes themselves.<\/p>\n

A Tennis Australia spokesperson said that this year\u2019s Australian Open saw a record number of requests from players to bring their own crews and teams to capture their own content, pointing out that the tournament has to protect media rights as well as players\u2019 profiles. But there is an obvious difference between an athlete controlling what they allow their audience to see and having zero control over what gets put out there for the world to judge.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this is a wake-up call, not just for the Australian Open, but a lot of rights holders and event managers,\u201d says Martin, who points to the example of The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National, where mobile phones and cameras are strictly banned for patrons on tournament days. \u201cThey control the broadcast and they do it for the fans that are there and the players, who are treated like kings.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Simone Biles chose to reveal details of her medical procedures (Geoff Stellfox\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Martin believes that the Gauff incident will prompt rights holders to reassess their approach and appreciate that some things should not be shown.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about protecting the heartbeat and purity of the event, which is about your athletes. Look after them, number one. The fans are obviously a part of that, but it doesn\u2019t mean you have to show everything. I would say from a fan perspective that\u2019s good as well because mystique and not knowing everything is important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Athletes are not so sure that anything will change. After her comments about being observed like animals in a zoo, Swiatek was asked whether she would speak with the tournament about it. Her response was blunt: \u201cWhat\u2019s the point?\u201d And Djokovic also admitted that he \u201cfinds it hard to see that\u2019s going backwards\u201d in regards to the amount of behind-the-scenes coverage. \u201cIt\u2019s just something that I guess we have to accept,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In such a world, Qureshi says his advice to any sports person is always \u201cto be themselves and express themselves fully. However, in a world which is as intrusive as it is now, with mobile phone cameras and CCTV and everything else, they have to be mindful that the context in which they\u2019re expressing themselves may not be explained fully to the audiences watching.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n