Late in the second set, a controversial decision became a massive talking point during Coco Gauff's shock third round loss at the Paris Olympics.
The world No.2 joined compatriot Jessica Pegula as the top two American seeds to bow out in the singles - defeated by a resurgent Donna Vekić 7-6(7), 6-2.
Break point down at 2-3 30-40 after dropping the opening set, Vekić’s ball was incorrectly called out, so the line judge rectified it.
Not deemed to have affected Gauff’s swing, the umpire’s interpretation deemed it to be Vekić’s point - much to the anger of the US Open champion.
“He [line judge] called it out before I hit the ball,” Gauff argued to the chair umpire.
“This is not fair. You guys are not fair to me. I hope that one day the game becomes fair, but it’s not.”
Wiping away tears as she pleaded with the supervisor, the 20-year-old was heard proclaiming “I feel like I’m getting cheated constantly in this game. This is the third time this happens to me this year.”
Notoriously known for her support regarding further technology influence, the American flag-bearer explained her side of the story.
"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 in her post-match press conference.
"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."
“I feel like in tennis, we should have a VAR (Video Assistant Referee) system because these points are big deals. Usually, afterwards they apologise. It’s kind of frustrating when the sorry doesn't help you once the match is over.”
Comments