On why she felt the need to smash her racquet in the aftermath, Gauff said: “I don’t want to lash out on my team. They don’t deserve that.

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I try not to do it on court in front of kids and things like that, but I do know I need to let out that emotion.”

Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash said players need privacy during an emotionally taxing tournament.

“There are cameras absolutely everywhere and players need to have quiet areas,” he said on Radio 5 Sports extra.

“That’s the only sanctuary a well-known tennis player really gets other than their hotel room.

“Players have got to be in the locker room and their hotel room to have any sort of privacy – that’s not really right.”

Gauff had demonstrated her resilience with back-to-back three-set wins to reach the quarter-finals, but she was never able to gain a foothold against Svitolina.

The Ukrainian 12th seed was ruthless, taking six of her seven break point opportunities to reach a first Australian Open semi-final.

Having made a tour-leading 431 double faults last season – 131 more than any other player – Gauff has made a concerted effort to improve her serve, hiring biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan, who previously helped Sabalenka.

But five double faults in the first set – including on break point to go 2-1 down and on set point – contributed towards a dismal end to her tournament.