Coco Gauff writes ‘RIP TikTok USA’ on TV camera at Australian Open as app goes offline
Tennis star was mourning the loss of the popular app back home
Tennis star Coco Gauff mourned the loss of TikTok's app back home, writing on a TV camera lens “RIP TikTok USA” and drawing a broken heart right after winning a match at the Australian Open to reach the quarterfinals.
Gauff's three-set victory in the Grand Slam tournament's main stadium finished on Sunday afternoon local time in Melbourne — about an hour after TikTok could no longer be found on prominent app stores on Saturday in the United States.
A U.S. federal law that would have banned the popular social media platform was scheduled to go into effect. Apple and Google app stores are prohibited from offering TikTok under a law that required its China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell the platform or face a ban in the U.S.
Gauff frequently has posted on TikTok, often mimicking popular trends.
When users opened the TikTok app, they encountered a pop-up message from the company that prevented them from scrolling on videos.
The message 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.
“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
Donald Trump, who will be sworn in for his second term as president on Monday, has said he will probably give the app a 90-day extension, during which time a permanent solution could be found.
He had previously tried to ban it himself but appeared to change his mind after his videos on the app raised his profile among young voters ahead of the 2024 election. He credited his 18-year-old son Barron for introducing him to the app.