Photo Credit : REUTERS
Coco Gauff was visibly distressed after a heated dispute with the chair umpire during her 7-6 (7), 6-2 loss to Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the third round of women’s singles at the Paris Olympics on July 30.
The 20-year-old American, who had been trailing significantly, became embroiled in a contentious argument with the umpire two games from the end of the match.
After Gauff served, Vekic’s return landed near the baseline. Initially, a line judge called Vekic’s shot out, but Gauff did not play the ball. Chair umpire Jaume Campistol overruled the call, declaring the shot in and awarding the point to Vekic, which led to a service break and a 4-2 lead for the Croatian.
Gauff approached the umpire, leading to a several-minute delay in play.
“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.”
Gauff, the second seed in Paris, had breezed through her first two matches, dropping only five games. However, her first Olympic singles tournament ended on a challenging note as temperatures soared above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius).
Despite a promising start, where she led 4-1 and was close to moving ahead 5-1, Gauff failed to capitalize, losing several set points at 6-4 in the tiebreaker. Vekic, a Wimbledon semifinalist, seized the momentum and maintained her performance in the second set.
Vekic dominated the match, finishing with 33 winners compared to Gauff’s nine.
