Riley Gaines came out in support of Coco Gauff after a video showing the tennis star smashing her racket went viral following her early exit from the Australian Open. She urged the fans and critics alike to remember that elite athletes are, above all, human.
Gauff, who entered the Grand Slam as one of the title favorites, suffered a disappointing loss in the quarterfinal round against Elina Svitolina. This loss visibly weighed on her, as in the now-viral footage, the 21-year-old could be seen venting her frustration by smashing her racket in what she believed was a private space. The public exposure of ths incident drew mixed reactions from the fans.
Gaines reacted to the online backlash surrounding the clip by emphasizing Gauff’s humanity, echoing a growing sentiment across social media that the American tennis star should not be harshly judged for a private moment of frustration after a difficult loss. Taking to X, she reposted the tennis player’s viral video and penned a tweet that read:
“She’s a real human with real emotions. She did this in private. I see passion, not lack of emotional control,” wrote Riley Gaines.
Gauff addressed the situation later, making it clear that the moment was never meant to be seen. She explained that she deliberately moved away from the court to avoid cameras, stating that she does not like breaking rackets in public and did not want that moment broadcast.
Riley Gaines shared her honest opinions on NIL deals in college sports
Riley Gaines, who is a former NCAA swimmer, is now known for her bold opinions and thoughts on ongoing matters, including sports and women’s sports. Recently, President Donald Trump was asked about his thoughts on NIL deals in college sports. Highlighting how negatively it is impacting the colleges and universities, he said:
“I think that it’s a disaster for college sports. I think it’s a disaster for the Olympics because you know, we are losing a lot of teams,” President Trump said. “I think it’s actually horrible for the players. You’re losing all of these great sports. Not only college football, even basketball is also affected.”
He added:
“Colleges can’t afford to be paying the kind of salaries you have been hearing about, and frankly, we did not have any salary cap in sports, and even then, the professional sports will be out of business.”
This caught Gaines’ attention, who is typically outspoken against NIL deals. She weighed in with her perspective, arguing that such agreements could ultimately lead to the downfall of college sports.
“College sports are broken. Unlimited NIL, unlimited transfers, & absolutely zero rules. They’re in total free fall,” Riley Gaines wrote.
Riley Gaines capped off her competitive swimming career in March 2022 after the NCAA women’s swimming and diving championships. The final race of her career was in the 200m freestyle, where she tied for fifth place with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas. Following this, she transitioned to being a vocal activist advocating for women’s sports.
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