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Novak Djokovic believes it is "frightening" that cameras are always on the players at the Australian Open - even when they don't hear them. The surveillance at Melbourne Park has become a huge talking point after Coco Gauff was caught on camera smashing her racket after losing her quarter-final match on Tuesday, as she tried - and failed - to seek out a location that wouldn't be broadcast.

Gauff and fellow WTA stars Iga Swiatek, Amanda Anisimova, and Jessica Pegula have all since spoken out against the number of behind-the-scenes cameras at the Aussie Open, with some claiming that the locker room was the only place they could take solace.

Djokovic has now waded into the row and, although he says it's "sad" the players can't move around without being filmed, he believes it could only get worse. "Yeah, I saw what happened with Coco after her match. Look, I empathise with her. I know what it feels like to break a racket. I've done it a few times in my career. I know how it is to be frustrated, particularly after a match where you underperform," the 24-time Grand Slam champion said

"I agree with her. You know, it's really sad that you can't basically move away anywhere and hide and - what do you call that - fume out your frustration, your anger 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.

"I guess it's really hard for me to see the trend changing in the opposite direction, meaning we take out cameras. If you see, it's only going to be as it is or even more cameras. I mean, I'm surprised that we have no cameras while we are taking a shower. I mean, that's probably the next step."

The Serbian superstar might not be happy with the camera situation, but he's conceded that they're here to stay. He continued: "I'm against it. I think there should be always a limit and kind of a borderline where, okay, this is our space, but you know, people commercially, you know, there's always a demand, you know.

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"How players warm up, what did they say when they speak to their coaches, and what's their cooldown. You know, they want to see us arriving in the car and walking through corridors. So, yeah, you got to be careful.

"In a sense, because I'm on the tour for quite a bit, so I remember the time when we didn't have so many cameras, and then that transition of really getting used to having an eye that you don't hear and may sometimes forget about always on you is frightening, because you know, at times you want to relax and maybe, I don't know, be yourself in a sense that you don't want public to see.

"But it's really hard for me to see that that's going backwards, you know? It's just something that I guess we have to accept."

And fans will want to know how Djokovic prepares for his next match after getting a lifeline into the semi-finals when, as he put it, he should have been "on the way home". The No. 4 seed trailed Lorenzo Musetti by two sets to love in Wednesday's quarter-final when the Italian picked up an injury and suddenly retired.