MELBOURNE – An unusual situation unfolded on Court 5 at Melbourne Park, triggering the emotional collapse of Elsa Jacquemot: during her match against Yulia Putintseva, an argument with her coach broke her mentally.
The incident became even stranger due to the reason behind the dispute: the French player accused Simon Blanc of not giving her the right tactical instructions and of favoring Putintseva, whom he had previously coached.
That old connection was the source of the conflict.
“He coached her for years and there are weaknesses he never even told me about, it’s insane,” the Frenchwoman vented while trailing 5-0 in the first set.
Blanc responded to her complaints and left the stands, visibly upset.
L’ALLENATORE SE NE VA 😡😡😡
Bel clima nel team di Jacquemot 😳#EurosportTennis #AusOpen #AO2026 pic.twitter.com/ZfmWTsmSeA— Eurosport IT (@Eurosport_IT) January 21, 2026
What followed reflected a player deeply affected mentally. She put up little resistance, and minutes before her 6-1, 6-2 defeat was sealed, she opened up to what remained of her team: Alizé Cornet, captain of the French Billie Jean King Cup team, her agent Arnaud Restifo, and her mental coach Mathilde Armitano.
“How can he tell me to do the opposite of how she plays? I understand that a player can adapt to my game, but it affected me mentally. I’m not enjoying anything, I’m being destroyed out there, I’m playing terribly because it hit me psychologically,” said the player, as reported by journalist Louis Boulay of L’Équipe.
In her press conference, on the verge of tears, the 22-year-old avoided giving details: “In the first set, something external disturbed me. I don’t want to talk about it now — it belongs to my private life. This defeat will be hard to digest.”
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