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Controversy Continues Over Electronic Line Calling in Tennis
Alexander Zverev has been embroiled in controversy during the Madrid Open, receiving a warning for attempting to take a picture of a ball mark. This incident highlights ongoing debates surrounding electronic line calling on clay courts.
While electronic line calling has been widely adopted on hard and grass surfaces, clay courts traditionally rely on line judges and umpires who physically examine ball marks. This method has remained in place despite advancements in technology due to concerns regarding its accuracy on clay, which can shift and obscure marks. However, this season has seen the removal of line judges from ATP Tour events and several WTA competitions, raising questions about the reliability of the electronic system.
In Zverev’s recent match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, he expressed frustration over a call that he believed was erroneous. During the second set, after Fokina contested a decision, Zverev thought a shot had landed wide and indicated a “malfunction in the system” when it was deemed in. His protests went unheard, prompting him to pull out his phone and photograph the mark, resulting in a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Earlier this month, world number one Aryna Sabalenka encountered similar issues at the Stuttgart event, and Victoria Azarenka shared a controversial call from another match in Madrid on her social media platforms.
In contrast, the French Open is set to retain its line judges for the upcoming tournament, making it an exception in the current landscape of tennis officiating.
In other news from the Madrid Open, defending champion Andrey Rublev faced a setback, losing to Alexander Bublik with a score of 6-4, 0-6, 6-4, which will affect his standing in the world rankings.
In the women’s draw, top-seeded Sabalenka had to rally after losing the first set to defeat Elise Mertens 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. In contrast, third seed Jessica Pegula and sixth seed Jasmine Paolini were both eliminated from the tournament. Pegula lost to Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima, while Paolini suffered a heavy defeat to Maria Sakkari, who has shown a resurgence this week after rejoining forces with British coach Tom Hill.
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