Coco Gauff has urged the tennis world to adopt a Video Review system universally after a contentious umpire decision left her in tears during her French Open semifinal loss to Iga Świątek.
Gauff was leading 2-1 in the second set when a line judge called her return “out,” but the umpire overruled it. Gauff argued that the initial call impacted her shot, but the umpire disagreed.
“Tennis is the only sport without a VR system, and often decisions are made by just one person. In other sports, multiple refs make the call,” Gauff told reporters.
“The US Open introduced some video review last year, and we’ve used it in doubles. It’s ridiculous that we don’t have it universally. It’s not just about my situation; every sport has it.
“Seeing that you were right after the fact doesn’t help in the moment. You can call for the supervisor, but they can’t do much. Our sport needs to evolve; we have the technology. They show it on TV, so why can’t players use it?”
The video review system uses the same technology as the sport’s ‘Hawkeye’ system, allowing players to challenge calls like double bounces or foul shots. It has been used in the ATP Finals and was introduced at a grand slam at last year’s US Open.
Despite positive feedback, Andy Murray experienced a malfunction with the video review during his first-round match against Corentin Moutet at last year’s US Open.
Świątek, however, expressed uncertainty about the logistics of implementing the technology.
“When can you ask for a video replay, or when does the umpire decide? The umpire today was confident in her call,” she said, according to Reuters.
“So I don’t know how that would work.”