Team USA flag bearer Coco Gauff, the No. 2 ranked women's tennis player in the world, was upset by Donna Vekic in a shocking loss [7-6 (9-7), 6-2], which eliminated her from the singles competition at the Paris Olympics. That is to say, during the third round defeat, there was an intense argument with the chair umpire, which some believe affected the outcome.
In view of the moment, during a crucial break point during the second set, when Gauff was trailing 40-30, she served the ball to the Croatian player, who returned a shot which landed out of bounds according to the line judge. However, the chair judge has the final say, and he had a different ruling, saying the ball was in.
Moment of the controversial break point at 3-2 (40-30) where Coco Gauff misses her shot against Donna Vekic. Ball was in and line judge seems to have shouted after she took the shot not before. pic.twitter.com/wwRR7N47dI
— edgeAI (@edgeaiofficial) July 30, 2024
To clarify, Gauff wasn't saying the call was right/wrong by the line judge, but rather making the point that umpire's ruling by saying "out," when she was in the process of swinging, led her to not finishing her shot, which is why she advocated that the point should be replayed.
Ultimately, this led to a lengthy back-and-forth between Gauff and the chair umpire, Jaume Campistol.
Coco Gauff was left in tears after getting into an argument with the chair umpire over a ruling during her loss to Donna Vekic of Croatia
“It always happens to me on this court. I have to advocate for myself every time." pic.twitter.com/Q9bWE2F33N
— moyoafrika (@moyoafrika) July 30, 2024
"I never argue these calls. But he called it out before I hit the ball," Gauff was heard saying to Campistol.
To note, at one point you could hear the judge saying "maybe I was wrong."
Coco Gauff talking through tears as she's not happy with the umpire in her match at Olympics
Vekic’s ball was called out, but it was in, so the line judge corrected it.
Coco hit that ball into the net.
The umpire says it’s Donna’s point. He believes the 'out' call didn't… pic.twitter.com/VKoCV79bOT
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 30, 2024
The 20-year-old was seen breaking down in tears over the matter during the match, as the call led to Vekic eventually going on to lead 4-2, which would have otherwise been 3-2 (40-40).
"There's been multiple times this year where that's happened to me, where I felt like I always have to be an advocate for myself on the court," Gauff told reporters afterward.
"I feel like in tennis, we should have a VAR (Video Assistant Referee) system because these points are big deals," Gauff continued. "Usually, afterwards they apologize... It's kind of frustrating when the sorry doesn't help you once the match is over."
Although it was just one point, in tennis every point matters and can shift the momentum to one player's way.
"I can't say I would have won the match if I would have won that point. But being down a break... Maybe replaying that point can make a big difference in that game... But I'm not gonna sit here and say one point affected the result today, because I was already on the losing side of things before that point happened."
All in all, there has been much criticism for the umpires, but what almost everyone can agree on is that tennis needs a video review system, so this type of thing doesn't happen on the world's biggest stage.
After the upset win, 28-year-old Vekic, No. 21 in world rankings, will now move on to her quarterfinal matchup which will take place Wednesday, July 31st.
Related: 15-Year-Old Upsets Venus Williams, 39, At Wimbledon
