LONDON (AP) - Caroline Garcia insisted she did not see her father signaling to her from the coaching box during her fourth-round loss to Johanna Konta at Wimbledon on Monday.
Garcia’s father, Louis Paul, is also her coach. He was shown on television giving what appeared to be hand signals, including an “X’’ with his two index fingers. On another occasion, he held up one hand and grabbed the thumb with his other hand.
Coaches are not supposed to communicate with players during matches.
“You probably saw way better than me because the TV is focused on him. But when I watch my dad, I just turn my head to him, nothing more,” said the 21st-seeded Garcia, who lost 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4. “Sometimes maybe he tried (coaching), but I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
The sixth-seeded Konta, who will face Simona Halep in the quarterfinals, said she didn’t notice Louis Paul Garcia during the match.
“I’m looking to stay very much focused on myself, what I’m looking to achieve out there,” said Konta, the first British woman to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals since 1984. “Again, that’s an umpire’s duty to, I guess, be aware of things like that.”
Caroline Garcia said that whatever coaching her father may have been trying wouldn’t be abnormal despite prohibitions and that he is “like 100 percent of the coaches on tour.”
“I know there is a lot of coaching on court,” she said. “We are sometimes talking … trying to improve every single point.”
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