Coco Gauff may be one of the youngest tennis champions in history, but that never stops her from going toe-to-toe with an umpire she believes is in the wrong. On Thursday, the U.S. Open champion took on world No. 1 Iga Świātek during the semifinals of the French Open. But in the middle of the Paris-based match, according to ESPN, Gauff got into a tense exchange with the chair umpire over a call that benefited her 23-year-old opponent.
Per ESPN, after one of Świātek’s serves was initially ruled out, Gauff missed a return. But when umpire Aurélie Tourte overruled the call, the 20-year-old became visibly upset, arguing that the missed return had come after the out-of-bounds call. “To me, it didn’t affect the shot,” Tourte said. The crowd began booing, as Gauff took Tourte to task. “Are you serious?” Gauff shouted, frustrated. “They are booing you because you are wrong.”
“I have the right to finish my swing,” Gauff continued, addressing the umpire in tears. “You should be ashamed … Know the rules of the game … This is the second time this has happened. It’s a Grand Slam semifinal.”
Świātek ultimately won the match, propelling her record against Gauff to 11-1. After the match, the Polish player told reporters that Gauff is “progressing a lot” and was complimentary of the American phenom, calling her “tough.” Gauff, meanwhile, was still rightfully frustrated after the match’s conclusion, making clear to the press how “ridiculous” she thought it was that the sport doesn’t have video replay technology available at all events.
“There are so many decisions that are made, and it sucks as a player to go back or [watch] online, and you see that you were completely right,” she said. “And it’s like, What does that give you in that moment?”
Of course, this is not the first or second time Gauff has had to advocate for herself on the court. In February, she got into a similar argument with an umpire in Dubai, after which she said she was “fueled” to win the match. At the 2023 U.S Open, Gauff also had to call out an umpire for not penalizing her opponent for slowing the game. Once again, she came out on top. As her father, Corey, has said of his daughter’s bravery in repeatedly addressing bad calls, “The scene is so familiar to women and women of color pleading and fighting to be treated fairly and respectfully by their male counterparts.”
