Alexander Zverev got furious during his second-round match at the Madrid Open against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina following a bad line call.
Zverev, currently ranked world No. 2, won the match with a final scoreline of 2-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(0). However, the match was controversial, especially about the use of electronic line calls on clay courts. The athlete became upset in the 10th game of the second set when he thought the ball had landed out, but was called in. The result led the 28-year-old athlete to challenge the call and appeal to chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani.
With this, Zverev took a photo of the ball mark and posted it on his social media. He was then given a warning for unsportsmanlike behaviour, but eventually won the match after two tie-breaks.
Zverev: “I believe there was a failure in the system”
In a post-match conference, the athlete addressed the issue and said: “Honestly, I believe there was a failure in the system, I think there was an error… at that moment.”
He added: “I am a fan of the electronic system, but the ball is not just a little bit – a millimetre in or out – it was like four, five centimetres. 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’.”
“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,” he said.
Furthermore, he did not blame umpire Lahyani for what had happened, but he said that the rules should be looked at again.
Zverev said: “It’s not the chair umpire’s fault because if, as a rule, he can’t come down. So it’s not Mohamed’s fault. But I will talk to the supervisors, I will talk to the ATP, because as I said, this is not normal. For an error like this to happen, yes, one or two millimetres I understand, but four or five centimetres is not normal.”
“I believe there was a failure… and when something like this happens, perhaps the chair umpire should be able to come down, but it’s not the chair umpire’s fault. The referee can’t do anything. What can he do? If the rule [says] he can’t come down, he can’t come down,” he remarked.
ATP Tour shared Zverev’s win in a social media post.
“Top seed for a reason 🥇 @alexzverev123 storms back 2-6 7-6(3) 7-6(0) to prevail past Davidovich Fokina”
View this post on Instagram
Instagram users commented on the post about the incident with one of them asking: “Who else here waiting for the ball mark picture?🔥”
“Well done for taking that photo. Common sense and justice won,” another added.