US Open 2020 winner Laura Siegemund - "I felt safe"
Laura Siegemund was the first German to win the women's doubles title at the US Open in 35 years. Your partner Wera Swonarewa should stay by your side in the future, said Siegemund in the Dlf. The organizers praised the 32-year-old for her Corona measures, but also expressed criticism.
It took 35 years for a German tennis player to win the doubles title at the US Open after Claudia Kohde-Kilsch. Laura Siegemund triumphed last Friday in New York at the side of Russian Vera Swonarewa. With 6: 4 and 6: 4 the duo defeated number three seeded Nicole Melichar / Yifan Xu (USA / China). “I'm super proud and mega happy,” said Siegemund in the Dlf. “Even if I go straight to the next tournament, I try to savor it and enjoy it as much as possible.
The special thing about their win: Siegemund and Swonarewa had never played doubles together before the US Open. The fact that the two played together was not a coincidence, said Siegemund. “I have already selected the Wera based on certain criteria, and they have chosen me too. We believed that we were a good match. We didn't expect that it would lead to the title. ”That's why the pairing should continue to exist in the future, even if both players focus more on the individual. "We're not going to be doubles specialists now, but we want to play more in the future," said Siegemund. At the French Open in Paris, which starts in just under a week, the two are back on the pitch together.
"I felt relatively safe"
At the US Open, it was not clear for a long time whether it could take place at all due to the corona pandemic. Siegemund is happy that the tournament was held at the end. “The USTA tennis association and the US Open have done a very good job of creating the safest possible environment. I felt relatively safe in New York, but I can also understand the players for whom it was too risky to play, ”said Siegemund.
The tournament didn't go off without any problems. The French Kristina Mladenovic was removed from the tournament because she was a contact person for Benoit Paire, who tested positive for the US Open before the US Open. However, ten other contacts were allowed to play. Mladenovic's anger was correspondingly great.
“I can understand that,” said Siegemund. “As strict as the regulations and precautionary measures were, there were still gray areas that were not clearly communicated to us players. Nobody really knew what would happen if a certain case were to occur. We received very little information from the official side. "
