Coco Gauff Faces Heartbreak and Controversy at Paris Olympics After Disputed Call
Coco Gauff’s Olympic journey hits a roadblock as a controversial call leads to her elimination from the singles event. Despite setbacks, Gauff remains focused on her doubles matches.
Paris, Bollywoodfever: The scene felt all too familiar to Coco Gauff: an officiating decision she was sure was wrong, a chair umpire who wouldn’t listen, tears streaming down her cheeks, and most disappointing of all, a loss—this time at the Paris Olympics.
Gauff, the reigning U.S. Open champion, was eliminated in the third round at the Summer Games by Croatia’s Donna Vekic with a score of 7-6 (7), 6-2 on Tuesday. The match took place on Court Philippe Chatrier, the same venue where Gauff previously faced a similar dispute over a call while being defeated by eventual champion Iga Swiatek in the semifinals of the French Open last month.
“There’s been multiple times this year where that’s happened 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 think the ref disagreed,” she said. “I think he just thought it didn’t affect my swing, which I felt like it did.”
Gauff, one of the biggest stars at the 2024 Paris Games and the female flag bearer for the United States during the opening ceremony, experienced a heartbreaking turn of events. Despite her singles loss, she returned to the court with U.S. teammate Taylor Fritz and won a first-round mixed doubles match, advancing to the quarterfinals. Gauff is also competing in women’s doubles with Jessica Pegula.
“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. “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.”
In singles, Vekic garnered much support from the stands early in the match. As Vekic began her comeback after trailing 4-1, the crowd responded to her requests for more applause. Gauff, attempting to rally support, also engaged the audience, which led to a competitive atmosphere.
The pivotal moment occurred two games from the end of the match. Gauff served, and Vekic’s return landed near the baseline. A line judge initially called the shot out; Gauff did not keep the ball in play. Chair umpire Jaume Campistol ruled Vekic’s shot in and awarded her the point, giving her a service break and a 4-2 lead. Gauff protested, delaying play for several minutes.
“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.”
Despite her efforts, Gauff’s performance faltered under the intense heat, with temperatures rising above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius). “These points are big deals. Usually afterward, they apologize. So it’s kind of frustrating. The ‘Sorry’ doesn’t help you once the match is over,” Gauff said. “I can’t say I would have won the match if I would have won that point.”
Even before the controversial call, Gauff struggled to maintain her lead. She was ahead 4-1 and had a point from moving ahead 5-1 in the first set, but failed to close it out, allowing Vekic to surge ahead.
One measure of Vekic’s dominance was her 33 winners compared to Gauff’s nine. “I’m not going to sit here and say one point affected the result today,” Gauff acknowledged, “because I was already on the losing side of things.”
The most memorable moment was the second-set argument. Gauff even referenced her previous loss to Swiatek while speaking to Campistol and a supervisor. “It always happens here at the French Open to me. Every time,” she said.
Vekic, who advanced to the quarterfinals, refrained from involving herself in the dispute, focusing on her strings. “It’s a very tricky situation. I personally thought the umpire made a good decision, because the call came quite late,” Vekic said. “But I’ll have to rewatch it. It’s tough to know exactly in the moment.”
As play resumed, fans directed their boos at the official. Despite a brief surge from Gauff, the match concluded in Vekic’s favor.
Over the weekend, Gauff had expressed hopes of leaving with three medals—one from each of her events in Paris. While that dream was dashed in singles, she remains determined. “I want,” Gauff said Tuesday, “to come home with something.”
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