Coco Gauff was brought to tears at the French Open last year after an ‘awful’ incident with an umpire in her semi-final heartbreak against Iga Swiatek. Though Roland Garros provided American star and world No.2 Gauff with a debut doubles Grand Slam title in 2024, her singles run ended in lamentation.

The 21-year-old returns to France on Monday as the No. 2 seed and will start her campaign against Australian Olivia Gadecki as she bids to add another major title to her US Open win of 2023. Last time out, she battled through the field to reach the final four, where eventual winner Swiatek stood in her way. The first set was dominant for the Pole, who lifted one foot into the final with a 6-2 display, but controversy struck as the second set began.

Gauff held a 2-1 lead, and was 15 points to the good, sensing the opportunity of a break, when a Swiatek serve initially called out by a line judge was overruled by the umpire. The American had hit the return out, believing the shot didn’t matter and stating she heard the call before finishing her swing, and a war of words ensued as the point went Swiatek’s way amid boos from the stands.

“He called it, and then I hit it, I’m 1000% sure!” Gauff told umpire Aurelie Tourte on court, attempting to plead her case. “If he called it before I hit it, I saw my reaction – I didn’t even finish my follow-through! Are you serious?! He called it before I hit it.

“Can you ask him? They are booing because you know you are wrong! They are booing because you are wrong. He called it before I hit the ball. I have the right to finish my swing. You are wrong, and it’s the second time it has happened. It is a Grand Slam semi-final, know the rules of the game.”

Legend Chris Evert was on commentary duty for Eurosport during the momentous affair, and asked: “Did she return it before the call or after the call? That is the big dilemma.”

The decision would stand, and the scores would stay at 15-15 in the game. Gauff could be seen walking away from the altercation in floods of tears, clearly affected by the call and frustrated that the chance had potentially passed.

“She is right, by the way. Coco Gauff is right, absolutely,” continued Evert. “She would never, ever tell a lie to the umpire. She is crying. That is awful, awful officiating, the umpire’s decision. She is saying that she had a play on it.”

There would be no fightback from the disgruntled Gauff, who fell 6-2, 6-4 to two-time defending champion Swiatek. The Polish star continued her dominance into a 6-2, 6-1 destruction of Jasmine Paolini in the final to lift her fourth Roland Garros crown. Gauff was vocal about the call that brought her to tears in her post-match interview and insisted that tennis must introduce some form of improved refereeing system to aid with such contentious calls.

“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,” she admitted. “In other sports, there are usually multiple refs in making a decision. I know the US Open brought in some of it last year, I believe. I know we used it in our doubles at one point. 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.

“Also, 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, and it’s, like, what does that give you in that moment? I definitely think, as a sport, we have to evolve.”