Coco Gauff in rage: “I’m being cheated”

Coco Gauff set out with a drum roll to win Olympic gold in singles tennis. The 20-year-old American carried the hopes of her nation, which had chosen her – alongside basketball legend LeBron James – as flag bearer at the opening. The burden on the shoulders of the world number two was correspondingly great, as she tearfully argued with herself and the rule enforcers in the heat of Roland Garros (35 degrees).

A controversial decision threw Gauff completely off course in the round of 16; she lost to Croatian Donna Vekic, who had reached the round of the last four at the Upper Austria Ladies in Linz this year, 6:7 (7), 2:6.

The frustration is deep. “The linesman called out before I hit the ball. I’m being cheated in this game, you’re not being fair to me,” Gauff complained to the Spanish referee Jaume Campistol, who immediately corrected his assistant and awarded Vekic the point after Gauff’s shot into the net.

Even later, the loser refused to calm down; the 2023 US Open winner feels persecuted. “I don’t know what I’ve done wrong. This is the third time this year that I’ve been punished for something that is not my responsibility. Why does this always happen to me?”

Gauff would do well to switch gears and concentrate on tennis. Because she still has two chances to win gold – in doubles with Jessica Pegula and in mixed doubles with Taylor Fritz.

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Angelique Kerber provides a contrasting program, flying from success to success, although the end is in sight. The 36-year-old tennis mom has identified Paris 2024 as the final stop in her career, and that doesn’t seem to be holding her back at all. On the contrary: she has hardly played since her comeback in December after the birth of her daughter Liana.

The 6:4, 6:3 victory over Leylah Fernandez (Can) lifted Kerber into the quarterfinals, but she is not yet talking about a medal. She is not far off. “I cannot explain what is happening here. Paris and I seem to be parting ways on good terms after all,” said Kerber, who is more at home on grass and hard courts.

An ice bath against the heat

The sand on the Bois de Boulogne has brought her little luck in the past. She reached the quarterfinals of the French Open twice, but was eliminated in the first round nine times.

But this year everything is different. Despite the extreme heat and high humidity, Kerber is in tip-top shape. “I’ve already taken an ice bath and I’m drinking more than usual. But it’s nothing that bothers me. I don’t think too much.” It works.

Image: APA

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Angelique Kerber, in top form before retirement
Image: APA