Coco Gauff in tears after argument with umpire over controversial call in crushing Olympics loss
The 90-degree heat wasn’t the 🌌only thing seaꦉring at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.
Coco Gauff was in tears during her 7-6 (9-7), 6-2 loss to Donna Vekić in the third r🦩ound after a fierce argument with the chair umpire.
The 20-year-old rifled a s⛎erve during the second set before Vekić returned with a shot that descended near the baseline.
Before Gauff could rally it back, a linesperson initially called i꧃t out.
Howeꦫver, chair umpire Jaume Campistol thought the shot landed in, and went on to award the Croatian a point – extending heꦿr lead to 4-2.
“I never argue thes🍸e calls. But he called it out before I hit the ball,” Gauff said to Campistol.
“It’s not even a perception; it’s the rules.”
The match was halted for several minutes due to the argument, and in that time the reigning U.S. O💦pen singles champion broꦯke down in tears.
It was déjà vu for Gauff, who also disputed a call during ꧟her French Open semifinals loss to Iga Swiatek l🌠ast month.
2024 PARIS OLYMPICS
- The fi﷽nal r🍒esults and medal count from the Paris Games
- Jordan Chiles’ Olympic bronze not retur💛ned despite ‘conclusive🐭’ evidence
- Luana Alonso returns t🦹o training after Olympics featured abrupt retirement
- Weig𝓰htlifting medalist Emily Campbell tears into Paris’꧟ Olympic Village
- The Post’s 10 best moments of the 2024 Paris ♏Olympics
“There’s been multiple times this year where that’s ꧙happened to me — where I felt like I always have to be an advocate for myself on the court,” Gauff said afterward, renewing a call for video review to be used in tennis, as it is in many other professional sports.
“I felt that he called it before I hit, and I don’t ꦫthink the ref disagreed,” she said. “I think he just thought it didn’t affect my swing, which I felt like it did.”
The American enter🔯ed the Paris Games ♋as the No. 2 seed in the women’s singles.
She cruised through her first two outingꦅs, where she dropped a total of five games.
But Gauff slumped Tuesday after leading 4-1 in the♑ opening set.
Vekić, who is coming off a semifꦚinal run at Wimbledon, brought 🙈the set back before surging past her in the second.
To watch every minute of the 2024 Olympics, look no further than . For $7.99/monꦛth, gain access and stream every event live from Paris, plus extras like highlights, , and more.
Want to stream the Paris Olympics for free? Check out free trials of (5 days) and (3 days). Both include the networks you’ll need to watch the Olympics.
Vekić had 33 winners opposed to Gauff’s nine.
“I feel like in tennis, we should have a VAR system because these points are big deals,” Gauff said. “Usually, afterwards they apologize. It’s kind of frustrating when the sorry doesn’t help you once the match is over.”
Gauff, who was the female flag bearer for the Amer𒉰icans, remains in the doubles draw with Jessica Pegula and was set to play a mixed doubles match with Taylor Fritz later Tuesday.
— With AP
