Coco Gauff mourns TikTok ban in US after Australian Open 2025 win, write 'RIP TikTok USA' on camera (WATCH)

Published: Jan 19, 2025, 10:50 AM IST

Tennis star Coco Gauff expressed her sadness over the loss of TikTok in the United States after her victory at the Australian Open, writing “RIP TikTok USA” on a TV camera lens and adding a broken heart symbol. The 19-year-old made this gesture following her 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 comeback victory over Belinda Bencic, securing a spot in the tournament’s quarterfinals on Sunday.

This win came just an hour after TikTok was removed from major app stores in the US on Saturday, following the impending enforcement of a federal law aimed at banning the app. The legislation prohibits Apple and Google from offering TikTok, citing concerns over its China-based parent company, ByteDance, and demanding that it either sell the platform or face a ban in the US.

Also read: TikTok ban takes effect in US, prominent app stores pull social media platform from their offerings

When users attempted to access TikTok, they were met with a pop-up message that blocked them from scrolling through videos.

“Sorry TikTok isn't available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US,” the message said. “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,” the message said. “Please stay tuned!”

A federal law signed by President Joe Biden last year required ByteDance to sell its stake in TikTok’s U.S. operations or face a nationwide ban. The company was given nine months to find an approved buyer, but instead chose to challenge the law in court. However, ByteDance and TikTok lost their case when the Supreme Court upheld the law on Friday.

The legislation bars mobile app stores from offering TikTok, and prohibits internet hosting services from providing the platform to American users. In response to the ruling, TikTok issued a statement on Friday, warning that it would be forced to "go dark" unless the administration provided a "definitive statement" to the companies responsible for delivering its service in the US.

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