At the age of 35, Laura Siegemund’s only mistake, if we are allowed to use that word in this context, was ‘slow’ in her opening round of the US Open 2023 match against the crowd favorite Coco Gauff of Arthur Ashe. The German veteran spent a lot of time preparing for Gauff’s services and was even given a time violation for that by chair umpire Marijana Veljovic. But things heated up in the third set. Already under the bomb after losing the first set, Gauff, despite leading 3-0 in the decider, had had enough. He decided to argue with the umpire.
The topic of discussion was obviously Siegemund’s move or lack thereof. Gauff lashed out at Veljovic in the third set, accusing the Serbian official of failing to properly enforce the time-break rules against Siegemund.
Siegemund — who was cautioned twice for slow play, which ultimately cost him a game in the final set — also faced Veljovic during a tetchy encounter.
Gauff later said he felt angered by Veljovic’s failure to contain Siegemund’s flow of play.
Gauff won the match 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in 2 hours and 50 minutes. While the focus is on the boy and his frustration, Siegemund is fighting his own battle. He was saddened by the treatment he received from the crowd.
After the match, the German broke down as he lashed out at the partisan home crowd who cheered him on every mistake non-stop throughout.
“I’m very disappointed with the way people are treating me today,” he told reporters.
‘No respect for me, no respect for tennis’
“I’m a fighter. I didn’t do anything against the spectators, I stayed calm, even a gesture against the spectators. , they don’t respect good tennis.”
Siegemund admitted that he was playing slowly but denied it was a tactic to unsettle his opponent.
“There’s no doubt about it I’m slow,” he said. “There’s no doubt about it I need to be faster. But it’s how I play. But I do it for me, I don’t do it against (the opponent).”
Siegemund fought back tears as he admitted that the crowd’s reaction would make him think twice about playing in the tournament in the future.
“This kind of unfair, disrespectful behavior towards a non-American player. I’ve experienced it here on the court,” he said.
“I won here two times. I left every minute of every game I played here, everything left on the court. And this is how (they) treat me? To be treated like that? I’m going back because it’s a Slam. . For sure not because of the people and to give them a show.”