Why Coco Gauff’s Emotional Moment at the Australian Open Matters for How We Talk About Culture and Emotion

When Coco Gauff, one of tennis’s brightest stars, lost in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and vented her frustration by smashing her racket, cameras caught what she thought was a private release of emotion. Gauff later expressed discomfort that the moment was broadcast, noting she had tried “to go somewhere where I thought there wasn’t a camera” to let out her feelings without the world watching.

This moment resonated far beyond sport because it revealed something profound about how we respond to emotion, especially that of Black women in high-stakes, high-visibility contexts.

Emotional Expression Is Human

Across coverage of the incident, it’s clear Gauff was frustrated by her performance, a lopsided loss, unforced errors, and a self-acknowledged need to avoid directing her frustration anywhere else. Recognizing her emotional reaction as legitimate and natural, she defended the need to let out feelings rather than suppress them. We know this is especially important for women who make up 80% of the autoimmune disease cases, and suppressed emotions impact a person's likelihood to develop these types of diseases. 

But what strikes many observers is the discomfort the world has with seeing a Black woman feel, especially in a space where Black women "aren't supposed to be." Superstars Venus and Serena Williams experienced extreme racism for most of their career, partly because tennis is viewed as a sport for wealthy White folks. That, coupled with the expectations of composure, strength, and “good representation,” is layered on top of the athlete as performer, competitor, and public figure. 

Why This Matters for Culture

Emotion is data.

In workplaces and organizations, we often treat emotions, frustration, disappointment, anger, and sadness as something to manage, suppress, or even erase. But emotion signals what is and isn’t working in the environment:

• a mismatch between expectations and reality

• unacknowledged stress and pressure

• unmet needs for psychological safety

• norms that reward suppression over honesty

Gauff’s reaction and her explanation that she chose to express frustration away from others so she wouldn’t harm those she values underscores an important point: emotional expression is about self-regulation and relational care.

Black Women’s Emotions Are Too Often Pathologized

In organizational culture, Black women are routinely told to moderate their affect, to appear less “angry,” “emotional,” or “intense.” Yet when emotions go unspoken, they don’t disappear. They calcify into distrust, disengagement, and burnout.

Gauff’s moment should prompt leaders to ask:

• Whose emotions are encouraged?

• Whose emotions are dismissed or watched as “unprofessional”?

• What messages do we send when we hide emotional responses from view?

In Gauff’s case, she didn’t want to smash her racket on court in front of children or her team, a choice rooted in care. But the fact that this private emotional expression became public highlights how little space even top performers are given to feel without judgment.

Why Normalizing Emotion Builds Better Culture

Healthy cultures don’t pathologize emotion; they interpret it.

Emotion tells us where systems strain. It reveals where expectations and support systems misalign. And it offers leaders insight into what needs to be shifted, repaired, or rethought.

When emotions are normalized:

• Conflicts are surfaced earlier

• Feedback becomes more authentic

• Trust grows because people feel seen

• Psychological safety increases

• Innovation is supported instead of suppressed

Ignoring emotion doesn’t make it go away; it just pushes it underground, where it emerges in less productive, more destructive ways.

What Leaders Must Do Differently

If organizations want to be truly inclusive, not just in language, but in experience, they must:

• Recognize emotions as legitimate data, not obstacles

• Provide private spaces for processing, not just public forums

• Train leaders to respond with curiosity instead of correction

• Resist broadcasting emotion as spectacle and instead understand its context

• Build norms that allow vulnerability without punishment

Coco Gauff didn’t ask for her emotional response to be public. But the world saw it anyway, and in that moment, a powerful reminder emerged: emotion is part of culture, not separate from it. Choosing to understand emotions rather than suppress them is one of the most human and strategic shifts a leader can make.