Australian tennis great Pat Rafter has weighed in on players letting out their frustrations by smashing racquets, after Coco Gauff was caught on camera.

The world No. 3 was filmed in a Rod Laver Arena tunnel repeatedly smashing her racquet following a crushing loss to Elina Svitolina.

The footage has raised concerns among this year’s top players about privacy at the Australian Open.

But Rafter said if players wanted to vent in private, they could do so in their locker rooms where there were no cameras. He added that players should feel fine about releasing their frustrations in public.

“I said to one of the players yesterday that it’s actually fine to let the emotion out on the court too, because if you’re getting really frustrated, and she was, I mean, she was getting her ass kicked,” Rafter told Nova radio on Thursday.

“She just couldn’t find a way back in … then let that frustration out.

“Sometimes, at the end of the first set, just demolish [a racquet] and then it just clears everything.

“For me, it was a reset. If you continually keep smashing your racquet as the sets go along, that’s not great, but it’s about getting the anger out.”

Coco Gauff took out her frustration on her racquet. Video stills: ESPN 2

Gauff said she deliberately attempted to “go somewhere where there was no cameras” before letting her frustrations out.

The 21-year-old complained about the presence of cameras at Melbourne Park, saying she felt some moments didn’t need to be broadcast.

She had allies on Wednesday in world No. 2. Iga Swiatek and American colleagues Amanda Anismova and Jessica Pegula, who all felt that players’ privacy was being invaded.

Swiatek, who has won four French Open titles, herself was caught by cameras this week being stopped by security after forgetting her accreditation with the incident widely broadcast.

“The question is, are we tennis players, or are we, like, animals in the zoo where they are observed even when they poop, you know?,” Swiatek said following her 7-5 6-1 loss to Elena Rybakina.

“OK, that was exaggerating obviously, but it would be nice to have some privacy.

“It would be nice also to, have your own process and not always be observed … it would be nice to have some space where you can do that without the whole world watching.

“I don’t think it should be like that, because we’re tennis players — we’re meant to be watched on the court and in the press — that’s our job.

“It’s not our job, like, be a meme when you forget your accreditation.”

A 24-time major winner, Novak Djokovic said he preferred the days when cameras weren’t omnipresent but felt that wouldn’t change anytime soon.

“I saw what happened with Coco after her match. I empathise with her,” Djokovic said.

“I agree with her. You know, it’s really sad that you can’t basically move away anywhere and hide and … fume out your frustration in a way that won’t be captured by a camera.

“But we live in a society and in times where content is everything, so it’s a deeper discussion.

“It’s really hard for me to see that that’s going [to go] backward. It’s just something that I guess we have to accept.”

Tennis Australia issued a statement saying the Australian Open aimed to “strike a balance” between supporting players and showcasing their personalities for fans.

Tournament organisers said there were private spaces for players to relax, including a quiet room, strategy rooms, sleep room, private locker rooms, medical and beauty rooms.

“Cameras capturing behind-the-scenes are positioned in operational areas where the players warm up, cool down and make their journey to and from the court,” they said.

“This is all designed to provide fans with a deeper connection to the athletes and help them build their fan base.

“As always, we value feedback from the players and will continue to work collaboratively to ensure the right balance.”

-with AAP