Coco Gauff says lack of video replays in tennis ‘ridiculous’

Coco Gauff of the U.S. argues with the chair umpire over a line call during her semifinal match of the French Open tennis tournament against Poland’s Iga Swiatek at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Thursday, June 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Coco Gauff called for video replays to be used for contentious decisions in tennis after having a heated exchange with the chair umpire during her French Open semi-final loss to Iga Swiatek on Thursday.

In the fourth game of the second set of Gauff’s 6-2, 6-4 defeat, the umpire overruled a call of ‘out’ for a Swiatek serve, before awarding the world number one the point.

Gauff protested that the original call from the line judge came before she had completed her attempted return which went wide.

READ: Iga Swiatek beats Coco Gauff to reach French Open final

“They’re booing because you’re wrong,” Gauff told the umpire as the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd jeered.

“This is the second time this has happened. It’s a Grand Slam semi-final. Know the rules of the game.”

Gauff went on to break Swiatek’s serve in that game anyway, but later told reporters that changes should be made so that such decisions were not made by one person without the use of any technology.

“In other sports there’s usually multiple refs in making a decision,” the US Open champion said.

“I know the US Open brought some of it last year, I believe. I know we used it in our doubles at one point.

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“I definitely think at this point it’s almost ridiculous that we don’t have it.

“Not also just speaking because that happened to me, but I just think every sport has it… There are so many decisions that are made, and it sucks as a player to go back or online and you see that you were completely right…

“I definitely think as a sport we have to evolve, and we have the technology. They’re showing it on TV, so I don’t get why the player can’t see it.”

That service break gave Gauff a 3-1 lead in the second set, but it was one-way traffic from there as Swiatek powered into her fourth Roland Garros final and an 11th win in 12 matches against the American.

“It was just one of those moments, but I overcame it. I obviously won that game,” added the 20-year-old Gauff, who will become world number two next week.

“I usually don’t get too frustrated with decisions like that, but I think it was just a combination of everything going on in the moment.”

Swiatek, who is one win away from a third straight Roland Garros title, admitted having replays would be “easier”.

“I think it would be easier to have the replay, but… I don’t know how it would look like logistically,” she said. “When can you ask an umpire to call a video replay or when it’s up to her to do that.”