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Coco Gauff, fresh off a fourth-round victory at the Australian Open, expressed disappointment over the U.S. TikTok ban that took effect while she competed in Melbourne. After her 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 win against Belinda Bencic, Gauff wrote “RIP TikTok USA” on a TV camera lens, accompanied by a broken heart.
Speaking at her post-match press conference, the 20-year-old tennis star shared her candid thoughts on the ban’s impact.
“I could not access it after my match. I honestly thought I would be able to get away with it because I was in Australia,” Gauff said, via ESPN News Services. “Hopefully it comes back. … It’s really sad. I’ve been on the app since it was called Musical.ly. I love TikTok. It’s like an escape. I honestly do that before matches.”
Gauff, who has over 750,000 followers on TikTok, acknowledged the unexpected time away from the app might bring some benefits.
“I guess it will force me to read books more—be more of a productive human, probably. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise,” she said.
The TikTok ban was enacted as part of a federal law citing national security concerns due to the app’s ownership by ByteDance, a Chinese-based company. U.S. lawmakers and officials have long raised alarms about potential risks tied to TikTok’s data collection and algorithm manipulation. While ByteDance has denied any misuse of user data, the Supreme Court upheld the ban, citing the potential for national security threats.
Other players at the Australian Open have also voiced their disappointment. Aryna Sabalenka, a TikTok enthusiast with over 500,000 followers, said she hopes for a resolution soon. Gauff, while lamenting the app’s absence, noted that users are already exploring alternatives such as the new platform RedNote.
Beyond its entertainment value, Gauff highlighted TikTok’s broader impact, especially for small businesses and content creators.
“A lot of great stories I’ve heard are from TikTok and connecting with people,” Gauff said, adding that she hopes that the platform will find a way to return.
“I see there's a new app called RedNote that a lot of people are migrating over to. So I feel, regardless, people are going to be fine because people are always going to migrate to another app,” she said.
