Why he say ‘Vamos!’? Brit Cameron Norrie found himself at the center of a vocab-troversy on Monday at the Moselle Open, as beaten opponent Roberto Carballes Baena took umbradge with the Brit’s choice of celebratory exclamation.
The former Top 10 player, who recently returned after three months on the sidelines with injury, needed to work hard to earn his first tour-level win since July over the 56th-ranked Spaniard, rallying from a set down to take a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory in the first round of the ATP 250 event. But Carballes Baena wasn’t quite ready to let the match die as the two shook hands, and confronted Norrie about his repeated use of the Spanish celebration “Vamos!” throughout the match.
“You say ‘Vamos!’ all the time, looking right in my face,” the Spaniard could be heard saying after they parted, walking across to Norrie’s bench. He could also be heard saying, “You don’t need to do that.”
An incredulous Norrie—who has worked with an Argentinian coach, Facundo Lugones, since they were teammates at Texas Christian University—seemed taken aback by the accusation, and instead took a swipe at his own play. The Brit entered Metz ranked No. 57, his lowest ranking in three years.
“A couple of ‘vamoses’ and you get pissed off? … I’m playing so bad, so I had to fire myself up,” the Brit replied, as chair umpire Manuel Absolu stepped in to keep the situation from escalating further.
Watch the post-match scene unfold in full below.
