CoCo Vandeweghe drew heavy criticism and concern from viewers while working as the color commentator for a WTA Finals doubles match between Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova and their opponents Cristina Bucsa and Nicole Melichar-Martinez.
Fan Reactions and Comments
While Townsend and Siniakova quickly dominated the opening set in just 30 minutes, viewers quickly shifted their attention to what they described as erratic commentary from Vandeweghe on the Tennis Channel. Social media reactions poured in during the broadcast, with one viewer writing on X, formerly Twitter, asking what was happening with her commentary and stating that something did not feel right. Other viewers suggested that she sounded under the influence or as though she had consumed an extra drink or two prior to the broadcast. Concern grew among fans when Vandeweghe made an unusual statement, telling the audience that the match was an onslaught of a barrage of melees. The prevailing sentiment among the audience was that she appeared intoxicated, with observers noting that she spoke slowly at times as if constructing a basic sentence presented a significant challenge.
Broadcast Context and Madison Keys’ Success
The broadcast struggles could potentially be attributed to the one-sided nature of the match or a lengthy delay caused by a preceding singles match featuring Jessica Pegula that ran significantly over schedule. While Vandeweghe faced heavy criticism and worry from fans, fellow player and broadcaster Madison Keys received widespread praise, emerging as a media breakout star during her very first tournament in the broadcast booth. Vandeweghe typically handles both singles and doubles commentary assignments, but she was limited exclusively to doubles coverage at the tournament because Lindsay Davenport and Chanda Rubin primarily covered the singles matches alongside occasional appearances from Keys.
