Tennis pro serves up pic of bad French Open line call Tennis professional Sergiy Stakhovsky has taken a smartphone onto the court at the French Open to photograph the spot where a ball landed, in order to produce evidence an umpire made the wrong call. The incident reportedly took place during the first set of the 101st-ranked male player's first-round loss to French opponent …
In most sports there is also a rule that the umpire or referee's decision is final even when wrong. While they do sometimes have technology to help them, it's carefully vetted and tested technology, not just some random camera phone. I don't know what the rules are in tennis for dealing with players who argue with the umpire, but in the sports that I care about the player might forfeit the game or even the match.
The rules state that the umpire makes the call, irrespective of whether his call is correct or not. If it were my match I'd be upset, but ultimately I know that arguing is pointless.
A correction can only come from above the umpire, an appeal could be made to the governing body if it were serious enough.
Sportball players/fans need to accept that it's not, if the ball crossed the line, but if the umpire says, the ball crossed the line.
He was unlucky on the call, but they say you make your own luck.
Perhaps if he'd focussed on his own efforts and less on the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that went on around the game he might have done better.
Sudden thought: the picture gives no context for line orientation - for all I can tell that ball is definitely out rather than in.
It doesn't matter whether the ball touches the inside or outside of the line, as long as if it touches the line, it's good. That's the rules in tennis. And that mark is clearly on the line. That being said, you have to trust the umpire on the fact he'll make such errors in good faith and so on both sides.
You realise that Cyclops and Hawkeye are both developments for which McEnroe pushed very strongly, right? If Hawkeye had existed when he was playing he'd never have been known as the Brat, because he didn't get mad because the calls went against him - he got mad because they were wrong.
Really? You can't see the ball mark?
I understand The Register likes to cover some interesting happenings over the world, but it is very clear to anyone within the tennis world where the ball mark is (after discussing with a few others as well).
The player is spot on here and the umpire should not be at the French Open if he can't correct a quite obvious wrong call.
It's a bit hard to see, but clear enough to be sure that the umpire made a bad call.
I'm sure that people who are not used to watching tennis on gravel will have a hard time making the call, but people who have played on gravel, or have watched gravel tournaments before will be able to spot it. The umpire should be ashamed if you ask me.
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