Coco Gauff, the 20-year-old American tennis star, shared her sadness about the TikTok ban in the United States following her victory over Belinda Bencic at the Australian Open. After clinching a 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 win to reach the quarterfinals, Gauff wrote “RIP TikTok USA” with a broken heart on a courtside camera, lamenting the app’s removal from U.S. app stores due to federal legislation targeting its parent company, ByteDance.
In her post-match press conference, Gauff expressed frustration over the ban and reflected on TikTok’s significance in her life, calling it an “escape” and a creative outlet she’s cherished since its Musical.ly days. Despite the setback, she acknowledged the situation might encourage her to focus on other activities, such as reading.
Coco Gauff writing “RIP TikTok USA 💔” on the lens after her win 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/u8qbKCCgAW
— Tyler DeLuca (@TylerDeLuca) January 19, 2025
Gauff also highlighted TikTok’s role in connecting people and supporting creators and small businesses, while noting the emergence of alternatives like RedNote. This isn’t the first time Gauff has used a courtside camera to make a statement—she previously called for an end to gun violence after reaching the French Open final in 2022.
Gauff at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2025
Ranked no.3, Coco has achieved a 9-0 record in 2025. The American is competing at the Australian Open where she managed to beat the world no.74 Sofia Kenin 6-3 6-3, the world no.173 Jodie Anna Burrage 6-3 7-5, the world no.29 Leylah Annie Fernandez 6-4 6-2 and the world no.294 Belinda Bencic 5-7 6-2 6-1.
Coco Gauff will square off with the world no.12 Paula Badosa in the quarter. Their current head to head is 3-3.
Coco clinched 1 title in 2025 in Australia.
Coco won 10 titles in her career: 7 on hard courts, 1 on clay courts and 2 on indoor courts. (See the list of her titles)
Coco Gauff |
| Embed from Getty Images |
