Coco Gauff Argues With Umpires During Olympic Tennis Match, Saying She Always Has to Advocate For Herself

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Coco Gauff argued with the Olympic umpire during her match against Croatia's Donna Vekic on Tuesday, bursting into tears as she pushed back against a call.

During her match against Vekic, the umpire called the ball out of bounds before Gauff could hit her return. The ball was not out of bounds, and Gauff missed her shot. Because the umpire made the call before she hit the ball, Gauff argued that she wasn't being treated fairly.

“It’s not even perception. It’s the rules...I feel like I’m constantly getting cheated," Gauff told the umpire. Through tears, she said this isn't the first time she's had to stand up for herself on the court. "You don't understand, I have to always advocate for myself on this court."

Gauff also went against the umpires during the 2023 US Open, after which she said former First Lady Michelle Obama congratulated her for speaking up for herself. “[The former first lady] did say it's good to speak up for myself, so I think she was happy I stood up for myself,” she said at the time. Following that incident, Gauff said her grandmother, who was the first Black person to attend her Florida high school, inspires her to speak up for justice. "She's the sole, or one of the main, reasons why I use my platform the way that I do and why I feel so comfortable speaking out," Gauff said.

During her Olympic match on Tuesday, as she walked back to her place on the court to finish, Gauff told the umpires that she hopes for better, more fair calls across the board.

“You guys are not fair to me and I hope one day the game becomes fair, but it's not,” she said.

Related: Cori 'Coco' Gauff on Winning, Fame, and Life Off the Tennis Court

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue