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Laura Siegemund blasted the crowd at the US Open for making her feel \u201clike a cheater\u201d during her first-round loss to Coco Gauff. The world No 6 complained to the umpire when she thought Siegemund was taking too long in between points, with the fans on Arthur Ashe Stadium booing the German qualifier. Siegemund broke down in tears afterwards and considered boycotting the tournament.<\/p>\n
Gauff got her US Open campaign off to a winning start on Monday night, coming from a set down to defeat Siegemund 3-6 6-2 6-4. There was some drama during the match when the teenager approached chair umpire Marijana Veljovic to complain about the 35-year-old slowing down her service games, and the world No 121 was eventually hit with a time violation.<\/p>\n
The German also ended up approaching the umpire and claiming the sixth seed was playing \u201cunreasonably fast\u201d as the fans booed her. After the match, Siegemund burst into tears during her press conference as she launched a rant at the crowd. \u201cI am very, very disappointed with the way the people treated me today,\u201d the former world No 27 said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am a fighter, I never did anything against the audience. I stayed calm. I never made not even 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, for good tennis. This is something that I have to say hurts really bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Just in <\/strong> US Open champion ‘struggling to walk’ but still wanted to play final tournament[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n Siegemund also addressed the time she took between points, saying it was just how she played. The qualifier added: \u201cThere is no doubt that I am slow. There is no doubt about that. I\u2019m getting time violations. There is no doubt about that I should be quicker\u2026but at the same time, it\u2019s how I play. I\u2019m very slow. I do it for me, I don\u2019t do it against the other one.<\/p>\n \u201cClapping when you miss the first serve, those kinds of things, I have no understanding for it. I was very disappointed. I thought I went out there, I have a great time on Ashe, I have to say I did not have a good time. That was just [because] of the audience. Of course I am disappointed to lose the match but I am disappointed how they treated me out there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis kind of behaviour, respectless behaviour to a non-American player I have only experienced on this court. To treat the opponent like this, it\u2019s no good for tennis.\u201d The 35-year-old lifted the US Open mixed doubles trophy in 2016 and the women\u2019s doubles crown in 2020, and said the fans didn\u2019t deserve to see her black in Flushing Meadows.<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> She added: \u201cI won here two times, every minute of every game I\u2019ve played here, [I leave] everything out on the court and this is how they treat me? In a match like that? Full stadium. Against Coco, who won two tournaments recently. And that\u2019s the kind of performance I play? That\u2019s why I play tennis. But to be treated like that. I mean, I would only come back because this is a Slam. But for sure, not for the people, to give them a show. If they are like this, they don\u2019t deserve a show.\u201d<\/p>\n Bursting into tears, Siegemund said she was made to feel like she had been cheating just because she was slow. \u201cWhat do I play tennis for? I play for the people, I play for the effort. I know there are fans that appreciate fighting and not giving up and good sport. I think this is the first time I have cried in a press conference,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n \u201cThey treated me bad. They treated me like I was a cheater. Like I was trying sneaky ways to win this match or something. They treated me like I was a bad person. But you know there are people who are throwing rackets , who are screaming, who are like making bad gestures toward the audience. I did not one moment in the whole match, and there was a lot of tension going on. Not one moment I did anything. I was just slow. That\u2019s something in the rules, I get my time violation, that\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n But the world No 121 refuted the idea that the hostile crowd had affected her game after losing to Gauff from a set up. \u201cThey just want to push you down, they want the other one to win so bad they want to do anything to push you down. They want to get your in head. They didn\u2019t. Is it nice? No, but it\u2019s not affecting my game. But after you think about your experience when you calm down and what happened out there and it just makes me sad,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/72\/590x\/secondary\/4932983.jpg?r=1693324321649\")
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