Coco Gauff won on Monday night in her opening 2023 U.S. Open match against Laura Siegemund, but it didn’t come without controversy.
Gauff accused Sigemeund of taking too much time between points and that included being ready for when Gauff was. So the American star complained to chair umpire Marijana Veljovic — you can hear the whole rant below that the umpire seemed to brush off.
But Gauff won. And when she was asked after the victory what it was like to play in that match, she delivered a one-word answer that was perfect: “Slow.”
So much shade! Here’s that moment to enjoy:
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 some complaints from Gauff and one from Siegemund:
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
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
Coco Gauff & Laura Siegemund handshake at the US Open.
A little bit of frost, as to be expected.
In other news, Laura didn’t shake the umpires hand.
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 29, 2023
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
