What can be more fascinating than winning one of the most crucial matches against one of the most successful players? But for Donna Vekic, her latest win didn’t come with much pleasure. Facing World No. 2 Coco Gauff in the third round of the Paris Olympics, Vekic secured a straight-sets victory. Yet, her demeanor was far from jubilant. The Croatian star’s displeasure was evident, leaving fans and analysts alike wondering what dampened her triumph.

During the second set of the match, a technological error and poor judgment turned things ugly on the court. The second set of the match was extremely thrilling until a huge call at 3-2 disrupted Gauff’s momentum. As Coco Gauff was trailing in the match, a shot by Vekic in the second set was called out by the line umpire. Coco perceived that she won the point and hit the ball out herself. But the umpire soon declared that the shot was played inside the line. While the point should have been played again, the umpire decided to give the point to Vekic. 

This left Gauff in tears as she complained about being cheated in the match. But what caught further attention, was Donna Vekic’s fate! After the incident, the fans at the stadium started cheering out loudly for Coco Gauff. They also booed at the Croatian player as she prepared to play further. This created a huge disappointment for the WTA star and she was seen unhappy after winning a point in the second set. However, she has also received some support from the tennis enthusiasts online.

Taking to X, some users highlighted that Donna Vekic shouldn’t be the one to be blamed in the match. Indeed, the umpire’s call created a furor in the stadium, and the Croatian star becoming a target for the same, cannot be justified. Gauff, on the other hand, did not fail to advocate for herself, even after losing the match, 7-6, 6-2. 

Gauff was seen approaching the umpire and having a heated conversation. “This isn’t fair, I’ve been cheated. This always happens to me,” Gauff cried out loud. “Hopefully one day this sport will be fair.” However, this is not the first time when the star player has been subjected to such a scenario at Roland Garros.

Coco Gauff has an old history with ‘poor judgments’ at Roland Garros

Coco Gauff witnessed a similar scenario at the recently concluded French Open. While she was trying to get back in the match in the semi-finals against Iga Swiatek, a judgment from the umpire ruined her campaign. 

In the second set of the match, Swiatek’s serve was called out just as Gauff hit her return. But the umpire overruled the call and awarded the point to Swiatek, leaving Gauff furious. The American star had insisted that she hit her return after the ball had already been called out. She asked that the point should have been replayed but to no use. The 20-year-old was seen in a similar state, crying on the court. She had also demanded a video review system in the sport.

“I think tennis is the only sport where not only we don’t have the VR system, but a lot of times the decisions are made by one person. In other sports, there’s usually multiple refs making a decision.” 

As tennis evolves, it is indeed the need of the hour to make some crucial changes to bring more fairness to the game. Organizers must ensure that such incidents, where a player feels cheated, do not occur in the long run!