Coco Gauff marked her victory over Belinda Bencic in the Australian Open by acknowledging the absence of TikTok for Americans.
After defeating Bencic with a score of 5-7, 6-2, 6-1, Gauff wrote “RIP TikTok USA” on a camera lens, expressing her sentiments about the popular app being unavailable. Gauff had amassed over 750,000 followers on TikTok before the ban.
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Coco Gauff writes “RIP Tik Tok USA” after defeating Belinda Bencic at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
“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 shared with reporters post-match. “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. I guess it will force me to read books more – be more of a productive human, probably. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.”
TikTok was officially made unavailable to American users late Saturday night. Anyone with the app was hit with a message that read, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.
Coco Gauff returns a shot from Belinda Bencic at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
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“We are fortunate President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
On the eve of his inauguration, President-elect Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday that he would sign an executive order to extend the time for when the ban goes into effect.
“I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security,” he wrote. “The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.
“Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations.”
A TikTok logo is shown on a phone in San Francisco, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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Trump added that he wanted the U.S. to have a “50% ownership position in a joint venture.”
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