Coco Gauff Cries During Emotional Argument with Chair Umpire amid Eliminating Loss to Donna Vekic at Paris Olympics

The Grand Slam winner grew visibly frustrated as she told officials she felt she was "getting cheated on constantly in this game"

As temperatures soared up into the mid-90s in Paris, tennis star Coco Gauff felt the heat both off the court and on, where she was moved to tears during an emotional argument with the chair umpire before an Olympics-ousting loss to Donna Vekic.

Gauff, 20, was eliminated from the women’s singles competition at Stade Roland Garros on Tuesday, July 30 after losing to the Croatian Vekic 6-7, 2-6.

But the most notable event of the match was a nearly five minute-long argument with officials, during which a visibly frustrated Gauff cried as she insisted that her ball had been called out before she’d even hit it to Vekic two games from the end of the match.

“I never argue these calls. But he called it out before I hit the ball,” she said. “It’s not even a perception; it’s the rules. I always have to advocate for myself.”

Gauff stood her ground to chair umpire Jaume Campistol — who overruled a line judge’s call and awarded Vekic a point — amid a smattering of boos from the crowd, maintaining that the situation was unfair.

Related: Coco Gauff's Teammates All Moved Out of the Olympic Village — But She's Staying: 'Trying to Take Everything In' (Exclusive)

“This isn’t fair. I feel like I’m getting cheated on constantly in this game. I constantly feel like that,” she said. “And then you guys apologize afterwards, you say, ‘I’m sorry,’ and then what does that do for me in the match?”

At one point, Gauff — who served as flagbearer for Team USA alongside LeBron James during the opening ceremony — cried as she said, “This always happens to me.”

Something similar did in fact happen to Gauff during the French Open semifinals in June, where she ultimately lost to Iga Swiatek following an argument with a chair umpire. According to the Associated Press, she called it “almost ridiculous” that tennis doesn’t use video replay technology at all events.

After the game was over, Gauff spoke once more about how she believes that tennis should use a VAR (Video Assistant Referee) system.

Related: Men’s Triathlon Postponed at Paris 2024 Olympics Over Concerns of Water Quality in Seine

“I don’t think the ref disagreed. I think he just thought it didn’t like, affect my swing, which I felt like it did,” she told reporters, according to The Athletic. “There have been multiple times this year where that happened to me where I feel like I always have to be an advocate for myself on the court. I feel like in tennis, we should have a VAR system because these points are big deals. Usually, afterwards they apologize. It’s kind of frustrating when the sorry doesn’t help you once the match is over.”

This marked the first Olympic Games for the Grand Slam winner, and though an unfortunate end to the women’s singles competition, she will still have the chance to medal in doubles and mixed doubles. She is set to play with American Taylor Fritz later on Tuesday.

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. And sign up for Going for Gold, our Olympics newsletter, to get the biggest stories from the Games delivered straight to your inbox. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, beginning July 26, on NBC and Peacock.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.