CoCo Vandeweghe has tried to explain her side of the story after a bizarre controversy over her warm-up routine.
The American tennis player was competing at an ITF event in Pennsylvania. Her match against Ekaterine Gorgodze at the Koser Jeweler Tennis Challenge was suspended at one set all due to extreme heat.
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When play resumed, Vandeweghe refused to warm up and was seen half-heartedly hitting the ball back to her opponent.
The video of their warm-up went viral on the internet and viewers were not too pleased with her conduct, and some of them labeled her ‘petulant’.
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She put up a statement on social media explaining that she had ‘severe sinus infection,’ which had affected her breathing.
“By the end of the second set my entire body was cramping intensely and I had extreme nausea. I struggled to finish.” she said.
— CoCo Vandeweghe (@CoCoVandey) August 12, 2021
The American eventually retired from the match at 7-6, 3-6, 0-1.
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“After the (heat) suspension was lifted my opponent requested a warm-up; I informed the umpire that I preferred to skip the warm-up, citing my exhaustion and general illness in an attempt to conserve energy for what would be a gruelling third set under the conditions.
“I attempted to conserve as much energy as possible during the warm-up in preparation to compete with all of my ability in the third set.”
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The 29-year-old is currently ranked No 151 in the world and is hoping to battle her way back to the top league. She had peaked at a career high ranking of No 9 in January 2018.
