What Happened to Coco Gauff? Inside Her Olympic Argument With Tennis Umpire and What She Said
No one wants to lose, especially when it comes to the Olympics. But unfortunately for Coco Gauff, her time in the Games playing as a single athlete has ended. The athlete lost on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, to Donna Vekic 6-2 and tried to argue with the chair umpire about a call that was made during the match. To no avail, her pleading was unsuccessful, and it wasn't the first time the tennis pro has dealt with ruling disputes. Keep reading to learn more about Coco Gauff’s Olympic fight and what she said after the play.
What happened to Coco Gauff during the Olympics?
Gauff was in tears after a 6-2 loss to Vekic of Croatia in a Paris Olympics third-round singles match Tuesday. However, Gauff was more upset with the chair umpire and his ruling during the match.
The game, held at Court Philippe Chatrier, was certainly an emotional one for Gauff. After Gauff hit a serve and Vekic's return landed near the baseline, things started to go downhill for the 20-year-old American athlete.
A line judge called Vekic’s return shot “out” and Gauff’s following hit did not go over the net. Chair umpire Jaume Campistol thought Vekic’s ball was “in” and elected to not replay the point, awarding Vekic the breakpoint and the sixth game.
Play was delayed for several minutes when Gauff was arguing with the chair umpire. "I never argue these 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. I always have to advocate for myself.”
Watch the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOuSN1cyG5U
Fans of Gauff's were understandably devastated for the tennis star, with many taking to social media to air their grievances.
"You were cheated! Unreal the ref didn’t replay that point. That would have been the fair thing to do! Keep your head up Coco!!!" one fan wrote, while another chimed in, "They always cheating and throwing off your rhythm!!! 2028."
Others looked to the events Gauff still has on the horizon at the Games, with one penning, "It's been an honor to watch u play wishing u the absolute best in these upcoming matches."
Coco Gauff’s Olympics journey ended without a medal
Gauff was one to watch at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Not only was she the second seed for the singles matches, but she also was the female flagbearer for the United States during the opening ceremony.
Her singles run ended after the disappointing loss, but Gauff wasn't ready to give up on the Olympics. The athlete won a doubles match with U.S. teammate Taylor Fritz that same day, and things were looking good for the pair.
“At the end of the day, if anything, doubles make you want to go out there more. You don’t want to ruin someone else’s chances based off your mentality,” Gauff said after the match. “Taylor and I were talking about it earlier: A medal is a medal. I have two other events I can possibly do that in, so I’m just focused on that.”
Unfortunately, Gauff and Fritz were eliminated after losing to Czechia's Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova 2-6, 6-4, 10-5. They were also overthrown during mixed doubles that evening, facing Canada's Gabby Dabrowski and Felix Auger-Aliassime and losing 7-6 (2), 3-6, 10-8.
“At the end of the day, it’s over,” the tennis star said. “I’ll try to take the positive out of it and do better next time.”
Gauff has since reflected on her Olympics experience, taking to social media to write that it was the "experience of a lifetime." After the Games came to a complete end, she shared a quote on her Instagram Stories that read, "The struggle you are facing is a test to see if you are truly committed to the life you say you want." While she didn't specifically indicate that the post was a nod to the Olympics, Gauff remains steadfast and is looking ahead to the Cincinnati Masters.
Coco Gauff has argued with chair umpires previously
Unfortunately, Gauff is no stranger to advocating for herself regarding certain match rulings. The tennis pro was disappointed during the French Open semifinals when the chair umpire ruled against her.
She had lost to Iga Swiatek on June 6 and disagreed with chair umpire Aurélie Tourte’s decision early in the second set. Both the argument at the French Open and the Olympics resulted in no success for Gauff.
Coco Gauff is fighting for video replay technology
Tennis is one of the few sports that doesn’t employ video replay technology, and Gauff is aiming to change that.
“At this point, it’s almost ridiculous that we don’t have it,” Gauff said in an interview after the French Open, as the call and point affected the result. “There are so many decisions that are made, and it sucks as a player to go back or (watch) online, and you see that you were completely right. And it’s, like: What does that give you in that moment?”
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