Coco Gauff giving the chair umpire the business during her U.S. Open Match was all too familiar!
According to The NYP During the No. 6-ranked American’s first-round 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 win against Laura Siegemund at the U.S. Open Sunday evening, Gauff blasted the chair umpire for not enforcing time violation rules for her opponent.
As Gauff held a commanding 3-0 lead in the deciding third set, she grew frustrated when Siegemund put her arms up to signal she wasn’t ready for Gauff’s serve and the umpire honored her request.
“She’s never ready when I’m serving, she went over to talk like four times, you only gave her a time violation once, how is this fair?”
“No, you’re calling the score after the point is over, it’s not like we’re playing long points. You’re calling the score like six seconds after the point is over!”
Coco Gauff expressed her frustration to the chair umpire after she thought her opponent, Laura Siegemund, was slow to get ready for her serves several times. pic.twitter.com/WjXz4bskkt
— ESPN (@espn) August 29, 2023
“She’s 100 percent right,” ESPN commentator Patrick McEnroe chimed in.
“You have missed her like four times. She’s never ready! It’s not like we’re having, like 30-ball rallies. It’s two balls…I’m going at a normal speed! Ask any ref here, I go at a medium-pace speed,” Gauff continued.
“She can’t [go back] every single point. And everybody in this crowd knows I’ve been quiet this whole match…That first set, it was like every point. I didn’t say nothing, but now it’s ridiculous. I don’t care what she’s putting on her serves, on my serves she has to be ready!
The crowd roared in approval as Gauff returned to her post behind the baseline.
Siegemund, the No. 123-ranked player from Germany, had consistently been using up all of her time when she served and even earned a time violation warning during the third set.
She also disagreed with the Umpire when she was called out, claiming she was simply getting a towel and that Coco was playing unreasonably fast.
Siegemund unhappy with umpire in Coco Gauff match:
“Her last service game, I never went to the towel.. she’s playing almost unreasonably fast. I’m always there”
Umpire disagrees
“So I can’t go to the towel at all anymore?”
The crowd boos. It’s chilly in New York tonight. ? pic.twitter.com/99uQaBcJRs
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 29, 2023
Post match interviews were interesting. When Coco was asked what she thought of the match she said it was ‘slow’:
Coco Gauff after beating Siegemund at US Open:
“Nothing easy about that match. Describe what it was like to play it..”
Coco: “Slow…” ?
The shade. pic.twitter.com/mbqXlnS5Fc
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 29, 2023
And during her press briefing she said she regretted not saying something earlier.
Coco Gauff on confronting the umpire in Siegemund match at US Open:
“If I could do it all over again, I would’ve said something earlier, maybe on a changeover.. other than that I don’t regret talking to the ref the way I did. I actually watched the video when I was taking an ice… pic.twitter.com/cOjYJttpAn
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 29, 2023
Laura on the other hand was pretty emotional claiming she was treated like a bad person and that at 35 she plays for the people.
Laura Siegemund cries in press after Coco Gauff US Open match:
“They treated me like I was a bad person.. would I enjoy more if you played a good shot & people would give you the respect you deserve in that moment? Yes. I’m 35. I play for the people..”
pic.twitter.com/jZgqYLlJT9— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 29, 2023
Gauff dropped the first set 3-6 but bounced back to take the second set 6-2, and took command of the third set when she earned a couple of early breaks.
The American enters this tournament as one of the country’s best hopes for a Grand Slam.
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