“It was done in a peaceful way, I can’t get mad at it” – Gauff and Muchova speak after environmental protest disrupts US Open semi-final
Nobody wants a protest interrupting their Grand Slam semi-final – but Karolina Muchova and Coco Gauff were both very understanding
Coco Gauff at the 2023 US Open (Chryslene Caillaud/Panoramic)
Coco Gauff’s US Open semi-final against Karolina Muchova was the latest big sporting event to be disrupted by people protesting the use of fossil fuels, with the match delayed by over 45 minutes while the tournament security and New York Police Department dealt with it.
Afterwards, though, both players were pragmatic about the delay to their match, caused primarily by the need to remove an individual who had glued his feet to the floor.
“First of all, I didn’t even notice,” admitted Muchova. “I just thought it was, like, fans screaming, cheering.
“And yeah, I thought it might be fast, but then the supervisor told me it can be five [minutes] or hour, you know. So I’m, like, Okay, so can we leave the court? We were just standing there, and then they told us, yeah, we can leave the court. So what to wait there for? They didn’t know the situation. Yeah, then I saw the glued guy there!
“It took some time. Yeah, I just wanted to get off the court and then keep myself little warmed up and, you know, not just to stand there.”
Gauff: I always speak about preaching what you feel
Gauff – who has taken her first steps into calling for societal change, using her platform and celebrity – accepted that people would always be looking to use big occasions to draw attention to their cause.
“I think that throughout history moments like this are definitely defining moments,” she said afterwards. “I definitely, I believe, you know, in climate change. I don’t really know exactly what, you know, what they were protesting. I know it was about the environment.
“I 100% believe in that. I think there are things we can do better. I know the tournaments are doing things to do better for the environment. Would I prefer it not happening in my match? 100%, yeah. I’m not gonna sit here and lie! But it is what it is.
“I had a feeling it was going to happen this tournament. It happened in the French Open, it happened in Wimbledon. So, you know, following the trend, it was definitely going to happen here. I just was hoping it wasn’t in my match, and honestly I thought we made it through.
“But it is what it is. I think that, you know, the moments like this, yeah, are history-defining moments. Like I said, I prefer it not to happen in my match but I wasn’t pissed at the protesters. I know the stadium was because it just interrupted entertainment.
“I always speak about preaching, you know, preaching about what you feel and what you believe in. It was done in a peaceful way, so I can’t get too mad at it. Obviously I don’t want it to happen when I’m winning up 6-4, 1-0, and I wanted the momentum to keep going. But hey, if that’s what they felt they needed to do to get their voices heard, I can’t really get upset at it.”
49 minutes before play resumed
A statement from the US Tennis Association said: “Three of the four protesters were escorted out of the stadium without further incident. The fourth protester affixed their bare feet to the floor of the seating bowl. Due to the nature of this action, NYPD and medical personnel were needed in order to safely remove this individual from the stadium.
“The four protesters were taken into NYPD custody. In total 49 minutes elapsed before play resumed.”
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