NEW YORK (AP/RTR) – German tennis star Laura Siegemund took a swipe at the US Open crowd after losing in three sets to American Coco Gauff on the opening night of the New York Grand Slam. “I am very disappointed with the way people have treated me,” the 35-year-old said after losing in three sets. “They didn’t respect me, they didn’t respect the way I played, they didn’t respect tennis. That’s something that hurts me a lot.”
The spectators regularly booed Sigmund throughout the match, sometimes applauding when she missed her first serve. “This kind of dishonest and disrespectful behavior towards a non-American player has only been witnessed here on this field,” Siegmund said. “I think this is the first time I’ve ever cried at a press conference.”
Her 19-year-old opponent, the sixth seed, was upset during the match because Siegmund rested longer than the allotted time between competitions. In the third group, Jouf lost her patience with the referee and demanded that the referee act. Sigmund was then warned twice.
