Coco Gauff has called for the introduction of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in tennis after a controversial decision in her Roland Garros semi-final match against Iga Swiatek. The American was left in tears after an overruled call by the chair umpire, which ultimately impacted the outcome of the match.
Despite the emotional setback, Gauff used the support of the crowd to break Swiatek for the first time in the match. However, she went on to lose five of the next six games, ultimately falling to Swiatek 6-2 6-4.
In her post-match press conference, Gauff expressed her frustration with the lack of video review in tennis, stating, “100%, 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.”
Gauff highlighted the need for tennis to evolve and embrace technology, pointing out that other sports have multiple referees making decisions. She referenced the use of video review at the US Open last year and emphasized the importance of implementing it in all major tournaments.
Despite the disappointment of the semi-final loss, Gauff will achieve a new career-high ranking of world No.2. Her call for VAR in tennis has sparked a debate within the tennis community, with many agreeing that it is time for the sport to modernize and adopt technology to ensure fair play.