Alexander Zverev Blasts ATP On Major Line Call Controversy

German tennis star Alexander Zverev once again finds himself at the center of a controversy. Last week at the Munich Open, he was harassed by some of the fans for his domestic abuse allegations. However, the trouble was caused this time by the electronic calling system. In a surprising turn of events, the German announced that he would have showdown talks with the ATP about this matter.

During his Madrid Open clash against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, the German claimed that the ball hit by his opponent on the left sideline was out. However, chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani decided to stick by the word of the electronic call system. The chair umpire also refused to come down to the court and check the spot despite Zverev’s constant pleading. This episode was similar to the one in Stuttgart last week when Aryna Sabalenka called out the chair umpire for an incorrect decision.

What Happened In the Alexander Zverev match?

In the match between Zverev and Fokina, Zverev argued that his opponent’s shot was out. However, Lahyani refused and decided to go against what the German claimed. Interestingly, the World No. 2 took out his mobile phone and decided to take a picture of the clay mark. Eventually, Lahyani decided to give a warning to the German over an illegal action in the court.

Zverev eventually prevailed in a tight affair against Davidovich Fokina 2-6, 7-6, 7-6. With Carlos Alcaraz withdrawing and Novak Djokovic losing, the German can secure his World No. 2 ranking. With his latest wins, he has also moved ahead of Jannik Sinner regarding the ATP Race to Turin. Sinner, set to complete his three-month doping suspension, will return to the ATP tour in Rome in front of his adoring fans.

What Did Alexander Zverev Say?

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Zverev hoped he wouldn’t be fined. However, he stuck by his comments about the officiating system. “Honestly, I believe there was a failure in the system, I think there was an error in the system at that moment. I am a fan of the electronic system, but the ball was… it’s not just a little, a millimeter in or out, it was like four, five centimeters. Honestly, I believe there was a failure in the system at that moment. That’s why I addressed the chair umpire and said, ‘Please come down to see this, I’m not crazy (laughing), I can see what was happening’.” Zverev said as reported by Tennis365.

“It will be interesting to see what happens now, what kind of fine they will give me, even if I’m right. I hope they don’t fine me because obviously, in my opinion, I am completely right and should not be fined for this. This was not normal. Usually, the system is very reliable. Usually, the system has been correct so far in my experience, but what happened today, I don’t know.” Zverev added.

Perspective Of Clay-Court Electronic Calling

The debate over the electronic calling system on clay has divided opinion on the tennis circuit. Although tennis has three surfaces, it has maintained a similar type of calling across all of them. However, the clay court surface has exposed the calling system as many times the players have identified the ball mark as different from the one portrayed by Hawk-Eye.

Previously, the chair umpire would go to the ball mark and see if the player was right or not with their analysis. However, the chair umpires no longer move an inch and decide to go by what the electronic calling system says. Former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev raised many points against this calling system last year. Sabalenka did something similar in Stuttgart to what Zverev did in Madrid, taking a selfie of the ball mark, which the Hawk-Eye wrongly portrayed.