Laura Siegemund Breaks Down In Press Conference After US Open Loss

Laura Siegemund was in tears in her press conference after her three-set loss, 6-3, 2-6, 4-6, against Coco Gauff on Monday, August 28. She blasted the US Open spectators for showing her “no respect” and treating her like a cheater during her first round defeat, where she was criticised for taking more time than required between points and making Gauff wait to serve.

Laura Siegemund criticises the US Open crowd for showing her “no respect” during her first-round defeat to Coco Gauff 🗣#USOpen pic.twitter.com/aoYmD80aDJ

— Eurosport (@eurosport) August 29, 2023

Time Concerns

Gauff was seemingly not happy with it, and so was the crowd, which made noises during the Siegemund service. Gauff had raised concerns with the chair umpire about her opponent’s excessive delay in making returns. The teenager noted that Siegemund had somehow evaded time penalties during the progression of the match. 

Siegemund’s perpective

Siegemund said the cheering from the audience didn’t make her play worse. She felt good about being mentally tough. She said she’s not the youngest player anymore and sometimes gets tired after long back-and-forths and she needs those 25 seconds to catch her breath and dry off sweat. She also said the umpire can decide when to start the timer, and she felt unfairly treated by the chair umpire, Marijana Veljovic. She added, “I was just slow. That’s something in the rules, I get my time violation, that’s fine.”

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

Hearthfelt disappointment form the croud

“I am very, very disappointed with the way the people treated me today. I am a fighter, I never did anything against the audience. I stayed calm. I never made a gesture against the audience. And they had no respect for me. They had no respect for the way I played. They have no respect for the player that I am. They have no respect for tennis, good tennis. This is something that I have to say hurts really bad.”

Unusual display of emotions

She broke down, saying, “I know there are fans out there that appreciate fighting, not giving up and just being good sports.” I think it’s the first time I’m crying in a press conference.”