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These were close calls. Umpire Jaume Campistol Mas of Spain shouted loudly: “Out!” He saw the ball out, over the baseline and stopped the point. A replay of the shot by Croatian Donna Vekic (13th seed) shows that the ball was on the line. Coco Gauff (2nd) returned the shot out. She was already down 4-2 in the set. The American got into a bitter argument with the umpire, even though she knew there was no turning back. She felt wronged… again. And memories of similar situations came flooding back to her, she burst into tears over what she believed to be an injustice. She could no longer concentrate, the match slipped away from her. She lost 7-6 (9-7) and 6-2 and was eliminated from the 2024 Paris Olympics.
If the umpire’s call came before the ball hit, the point was legally to be played again. The American tennis player argued with the umpire. “I feel like it happens to me constantly in this game“They always fool me! This is the third time this has happened to me this year. And they did it to me right here at the French Open,” she argued, while trying to keep her composure.
The crowd at the Philippe Chatrier supported Gauff. They understood that she was right and that encouraged her to stand her ground. She called the match supervisor to try to correct the ruling, but was unsuccessful. “Do you understand that I have to always defend my rights? All the time!” she said, in what was understood as a continuation of the accusations of racism she has faced in certain matches. Several minutes passed before play resumed.
But when she returned to the court to resume play, her emotions overwhelmed her and she burst into tears. She could no longer regain precision in her strokes or rhythm in the game. She was completely disconnected. And her dream of an Olympic medal was gone. Although she arrived as one of the favourites, she was eliminated in the round of 16.
Coco Gauff talks to the game supervisor; despite her complaint, she lost the point and was eliminatedPATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA – AFP
A little more calmly, after the match, she analyzed: “I understand that the umpire considered that the shout did not affect my swing. I think it did. I don’t usually discuss these decisions, but he stopped the point before I hit the ball. It’s not even a perception. It’s the rule.”
Beyond the controversy, the American did not use the error as an excuse to justify her defeat. “These points are important. Normally, they apologize afterwards. It is a little frustrating. But the ‘I’m sorry’ The referee doesn’t help you once the match is over. I can’t say I would have won if they had given me that point.”
Just over a month ago, also at Roland Garros, but in the Grand Slam, Coco Gauff lost in the semi-finals against the Polish Iga Swiatek (1st) by 6-2 and 6-4.
With the Atlanta native leading 2-1 and 0-15, Swiatek served a serve that the judges ruled bad. Gauff returned the shot and missed.
Coco Gauff’s tears at the moment when Iga Swiatek’s serve was declared good just over a month ago, also at Roland Garros
Umpire Aurelie Tourte corrected the first call (she declared the serve valid) and gave the point to the Polish tennis player, which sparked Coco’s indignation. On that occasion, she also argued with the chair umpire. What followed was identical to what happened this afternoon on the same stage. She felt wronged and powerless for not being able to change the decision and began to cry.
The Olympic Games are not over for Gauff, who still has the mixed and women’s doubles competitions ahead of her. In the first of her duels, she had to face, together with Tylor Fritz, the Argentines Machi González and Nadia Podoroska, on the Simonne Mathieu court at Roland Garros. They won 6-1, 6-7 (6-8) and 10-5 in the super tiebreak. Although the top prize is no longer possible, she still has a rematch to overcome the bad experience of the singles.
Gauff breaks down in tears during a match against Croatian VekicPATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA – AFP LA NACIONGet to know The Trust Project
