Chris Evert expressed shock at chair umpire Pierre Bacchi’s refusal to call his supervisor, despite Coco Gauff’s “respectful and clear” request during her third-round match at the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships.
Gauff staged an impressive comeback to defeat Karolina Pliskova 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, securing a spot in the quarterfinals. However, the match was marred by unexpected disputes during the second set when Gauff was serving at 4-2, aiming to extend her lead to 5-2.
A controversial call by the chair umpire in favor of Pliskova stirred tension. Despite Pliskova easily returning the serve into the net, the umpire deemed Gauff’s serve ‘out’ at deuce.
Frustrated by the decision, Gauff challenged the call, which Hawk-Eye confirmed to be ‘in.’ However, the umpire refused to reverse his decision, denying Gauff the point she rightfully earned and instead granting her another first serve.
This further infuriated Gauff, prompting her to request that Bacchi call his supervisor to discuss the rules. However, Bacchi rejected her request. In response, 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert took to social media to express her dismay and bewilderment at Bacchi’s decision not to call his supervisor despite Gauff’s “respectful and clear” request.
“I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Coco had every right to see the supervisor, and her request was respectful and clear. What is wrong with him?” Evert posted on X (formerly Twitter).
