2024 Paris Olympics: Coco Gauff knocked out of singles play after controversial call in third round

Tennis star Coco Gauff has been knocked out of the women’s singles category of the 2024 Paris Olympics after losing 7-6, 6-2 to Croatia’s Donna Vekic. However, this defeat happened in a very controversial manner.

Gauff was trailing 3-2 in the second set when the score was 30-40 and facing a break point. When the 20-year-old stepped back to connect a backhand shot, the linesperson ruled that the previous shot was out because she had hit the ball.

The linesperson awarded Vekic a point and Gauff was extremely unhappy with the decision. In fact, the debate went on for five minutes in which Gauff put forward her side and became extremely emotional.

Gauff could also be heard saying, “I feel like I’m constantly being cheated in this sport.”

“I thought they called it before I even hit it,” Gauff said after the match. “I don’t think the refs disagreed. I think they thought it didn’t affect my swing, which I thought it did.”

“I think tennis should have a VAR system because these points mean a lot,” Gauff said. “Usually, they apologize afterwards. It’s frustrating when an apology doesn’t help, even after the match is over.”

After the controversial point, Vekic recorded break points and eventually took a 5-2 lead. Gauff was clearly nervous about the situation and never recovered.

Gauff still has a chance to win gold in doubles and mixed doubles, but her journey in Olympic singles is over.