Coco Gauff has called for the introduction of video replays at Roland Garros after her stormy defeat to Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the Olympic Games singles tennis tournament on Tuesday.
Gauff was eliminated in the round of 16 following a contentious 7-6 (9/7), 6-2 loss, marked by a tearful dispute with chair umpire Jaume Campistol over a line call in the second set.
World number two Gauff, who had already lost a 5-2 lead in the first set, found herself at break point in the sixth game of the second set when a ball from Vekic was called out. Despite the call, Gauff hit the return into the net. Campistol corrected the original call, stating it had not hindered Gauff’s shot, awarding the point and the break to Vekic. A tearful Gauff pleaded her case but was unsuccessful.
The 20-year-old Gauff, who was runner-up at the French Open in 2022, has since urged for the adoption of video replays to adjudicate controversial calls. Roland Garros is the only Grand Slam that does not use technology, citing concerns over the accuracy of electronic aids on clay courts.
“There have been multiple times this year where this has happened to me,” Gauff said. “I feel like in tennis, we should have a VR (video review) system because these points are big deals. And, yeah, usually afterwards, they apologize, so it’s kind of frustrating when the sorry doesn’t help you once the match is over.”
Gauff added, “I can’t say I would have won the match if I had won that point, but replaying that point can make a big difference in that game.”
This incident follows a similar dispute Gauff had with the chair umpire during her semi-final loss to Iga Swiatek at the French Open last month, which also involved a line call.
“I have to advocate for myself all the time,” Gauff told the umpire on Tuesday. “I’m getting cheated in this game. You guys are not fair to me.”
Donna Vekic, who became the first Croatian woman to reach the Olympic singles quarter-finals since Iva Majoli in 1996, acknowledged the tricky nature of the situation. “I personally thought the umpire made a good decision because the call came quite late,” said the 28-year-old Wimbledon semi-finalist.
Vekic had to regain her concentration quickly, saving three break points in the seventh game after the delay caused by the incident. “I lost my concentration for a couple of points, but I’m happy that I managed to come back in that game because it was an important game,” she added.
Vekic will face either Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine or Greece’s Maria Sakkari for a place in the semi-finals. Gauff, who missed the Tokyo Olympics due to COVID-19, still has opportunities for gold in Paris as she remains in both the women’s and mixed doubles competitions.
Reported By AFP.
