When Coco Gauff won her opening match at the Australian Open, she walked back into the locker room in great spirits. That upbeat feeling didn’t last long, though. She spotted a familiar face, smiled, and got nothing in return. Later, Gauff admitted that navigating the locker room can be one of the toughest parts of life on tour, even calling it one of the “worst things” about the experience.

Now, months later, fellow American Sachia Vickery has echoed that sentiment, opening up with some eye-opening comments about the behavior of both players and coaches behind the scenes.

Her statements on locker room culture came during a Q&A session that Vickery hosted on Instagram ahead of her match at the FineMark Women’s Pro Tennis Championship. One fan asked, “What are WTA players like on the tour in the locker rooms? Does everyone get along?”

Vickery has been on tour for a long time. Since turning pro back in 2011, she’s spent the last 15 years competing across both the ITF and WTA circuits. That kind of longevity gives a player a front-row seat to just about everything the tour has to offer, especially when it comes to locker room dynamics. So when Vickery speaks about her experiences behind the scenes, it comes from years of firsthand insight.

“Super fake and two-faced, players/coaches they all talk s**t about each other and laugh, then smile in their face when they see them, it’s crazy work. Some girls are cool though (sic) I have good friends on tour!” she replied.

Despite being currently ranked No. 697 in singles, she still regularly participates in tournaments.

Her last appearance on the WTA tour had come at the Charleston Open in March, where she had suffered a first-round 2-6 2-6 defeat to Donna Vekic. In fact, the 30-year-old hasn’t been able to record many wins so far this season.

Her latest outing at the FineMark Women’s Pro Tennis Championship also proved to be a disappointing one. Hours after making accusations against fellow WTA players, Vickery went on to lose her match against Gabriela Lee. The American lost the opening set 5-7 and decided to retire after losing the first two games of the second set.

Vickery retired from the encounter due to an unspecified injury, and this could end up making matters worse for her. She is already on a five-match losing streak and the injury that she has now sustained could see her be out of action from the upcoming tournaments.

Ranked as high as No. 73 back in 2018, the 30-year-old’s career has been on a downward spiral for quite some time now. However, while her playing career might have not gone as planned, it is safe to say that she hasn’t been fully focused on the game for more than a year now.

Sachia Vickery stands up against racial abuse

Back in June last year, during an appearance on the Black Spin Global podcast, Sachia Vickery was asked about her decision to join OnlyF**s. Her answer was simple and honest: despite the criticism and outside noise, she said the platform has made her feel empowered.

“I’ve always been outspoken about racial hate I get online, and bodyshaming. I’m very open about a lot of stuff, she added.

Explaining the reasoning behind her surprising decision, Sachia Vickery pointed out a reality many people don’t often see. For players ranked outside the top 100, financial security is far from guaranteed. Making a steady living in professional tennis can be incredibly difficult.

She also highlighted the huge costs that come with life on tour, that includes travel, coaching, accommodation, and other day-to-day expenses that quickly add up. For many players, those overheads can be overwhelming, which is exactly why Vickery felt the need to explore other sources of income.

“I can tell you, $2 million is absolutely nothing when it comes to tennis. I spent over $100,000 on coaching, fitness, physio, recovery, MRIs – people don’t see that part of it.”

She then confessed, “Having a security blanket, something to do on the side and make good money from, doesn’t hurt. It’s given me a lot of financial freedom, even helping me fund my entire tennis career.”

“We don’t have the luxury of having a safety net or financial freedom if we’re not inside the top 100,” she had said.

Vickery had even remarked that many other players had also asked her about the subscription service and the amount of money she was making through it.

While many fans were taken aback by the statement, Vickery had later clarified that it was just a “joke” during an interview with CNN last summer.