Coco Gauff‘s bid for a medal in the 2024 Olympic singles ended on Tuesday when the powerhouse tennis player lost 7-6, 6-2 to her Round 3 competitor, Donna Vekić. It was a challenging game for Gauff (who remains in contention for medals in women’s doubles and mixed doubles) — she started strong, taking the first set with a 4-1 victory. But Vekić was determined and managed to secure a tie-break; that’s when things began to crumble for Gauff and eventually ended in her discussing the call with the umpire and walking away in tears.
According to The Guardian, during the second set, Gauff served, and Vekić’s return hit near the baseline. One of the line judges called out Vekić’s shot, and Gauff didn’t keep the ball in play. Jaume Campistol, the chair umpire, thought Vekić’s shot landed in the court and gave her the point, giving the Croatian player a service break, not to mention a 4-2 lead.
Gauff walked over to Campistol, delaying the game by a few minutes.
“I never argue these calls. But he called it out before I hit the ball,” Gauff told Campistol. “It’s not even a perception; it’s the rules. I always have to advocate for myself.”
Others reported the 20-year-old said, “I feel like I’m getting cheated on constantly in this game.”
This call was controversial with those in the audience and viewers on social media.
Fans reportedly booed loudly when Gauff’s complaints were rebuffed, and their anger was directed at Campistol and his fellow officials. They roared in applause when the first point of the next set went to Gauff, but just 10 minutes later, Vekić was named the game’s victor.
After the game, Gauff shared that the disputed call wasn’t the reason she lost the game.
“I’m not going to sit here and say one point affected the result today, I was already on the losing side of things,” the U.S. Open champ said.
Last month, the Atlanta native went through something similar during a match against Iga Świątek in the French Open semi-finals. Afterward, Gauff said it’s “almost ridiculous” that tennis does not use video replay technology at events.
She referenced the French Open match against Świątek match when talking to Campistol and a supervisor on the court.
“It always happens here at the French Open to me. Every time,” she said. “This is like the fourth, fifth time it’s happened this year.”
Despite Tuesday’s dispute, Gauff’s Olympics journey continues as she has women’s doubles and mixed doubles left on the docket, giving her opportunities to bring a medal home.
