Coco Gauff breaks down crying at Olympics and says ‘this is not fair’ as she suffers shock third-round loss at Paris 2024
Coco Gauff’s bid for singles gold at the Paris Olympics came to a dramatic end on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old broke down in tears again at Roland Garros in her shock third round loss at the Summer Games.
Coco Gauff had a rough day in Paris and was knocked out of the OlympicsCredit:
During a heated third-round match against Croatia’s Donna Vekić, Gauff became visibly angry with the umpire.
A scene similar to the recent French Open played out, as Gauff challenged a call and then couldn’t contain her emotions.
“This is not fair,” Gauff said. “You guys are not fair to me. I hope that one day the game becomes fair, but it’s not.”
Coco Gauff had a rough day in Paris and was knocked out of the Olympics
During a heated third-round match against Croatia’s Donna Vekić, Gauff became visibly angry with the umpire.
A scene similar to the recent French Open played out, as Gauff challenged a call and then couldn’t contain her emotions.
“This is not fair,” Gauff said. “You guys are not fair to me. I hope that one day the game becomes fair, but it’s not.”
After dropping the first set 7-6 (7), Gauff fell 6-2 in the second and was knocked out of women’s singles play in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Gauff said that a call was made early, which was similar to her frustrations while playing Iga Swiatek at the 2024 French Open in June.
“They’re booing because they know you are wrong,” Gauff said then.
On Tuesday, the 20-year-old American hit a serve and watched Vekic’s return land near the baseline.
After a line judge called the return out, Gauff didn’t keep the ball in play.
Advertisement
But chair umpire Jaume Campistol believed that Vekic’s return had safely landed in, and instead awarded the Croatian the point.
With Gauff trailing 4-2 and facing a stunning Olympic knock out, she walked over and began a tense conversation that lasted several minutes.
Gauff stopped play for several minutes while she fought for a pointCredit
It was clear that the moment and frustration got to Gauff
Fans became involved as Gauff kept trying to convince officials she was rightCredit
“I never argue these calls. But he called it out before I hit the ball,” Gauff said. “It’s not even a perception — it’s the rules. I always have to advocate for myself.”
After the match, the American number one called for a video replay system to be implemented to tennis.
Speaking to NBC after the match, Gauff said: “I feel like in tennis, we should have a VAR system because these points are big deals.
Tennis star Andy Murray reportedly might have the biggest collection of Olympic pin badges as he searches for more at Paris 2024
“Usually, afterwards they apologise.
“It’s kind of frustrating when the sorry doesn’t help you once the match is over.”
Gauff is the No. 2 ranked women’s player in the world.
She has seven singles titles, has earned more than $15 million in career prize money, and won the 2023 US Open.
During the 2024 French Open at Roland Garros, Gauff challenged a controversial call.
Gauff was left in floods of tears during her defeatCredit: Getty
Advertisement
Swiatek took the first set, 6-2.
Knowing that she needed to rally in the second set, Gauff dug in and played more aggressive.
The No. 3 seed held a 2-1 lead in the second when play abruptly stopped.
“Coco Gauff is not happy,” an announcer said. “Neither are the crowd.”
As the crowd booed in the background, Gauff began crying.
“Are you serious?” said Gauff, while disputing the 2024 French Open call.
Advertisement
Less than two months later, Gauff joined NBA star LeBron James as the USA flag bearer during the Opening Ceremonies in Paris on the River Seine.
She became emotional while receiving that honor, and also revealed that some of her teammates had left the Olympic Village due to bathroom problems.
With Gauff out of the singles only Emma Navarro and Danielle Collins remained as US hopes in the women’s draw, but Navarro suffered a similar fate.
The 11th seed was beaten in three sets by China’s Qinwen Zheng who advanced to the last eight.
Advertisement
It means that Collins – the world no.9 – is the only hope for gold in the womens event. The Floridian is enjoying the season of her life as she prepares to retire at the end of the WTA season.
She advanced to a potential quarterfinal with world no.1 and top seed Iga Swiatek after a three set win over Colombia’s Camila Osorio. Swiatek plays later on Wednesday.
talkSPORT brings you live coverage of the Paris Olympics this summer, with Sir Steve Redgrave and Dame Kelly Holmes among our legendary line-up of pundits. Listen to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, via the app, or through your smart speaker. And follow our live blog for all the latest news.
