Disputations in the tennis courts? They are, in fact, just as ancient as the game! However, nothing irritates a player more than an unclear umpire call, particularly when there’s no option to contest it. Just ask Coco Gauff, who has experienced several of these excruciating situations. She may, however, exhale with relief now. The VAR system will now be widely implemented by the US Open organisers, so those dubious calls may finally have some support.
Prior to her US Open campaign, the rising star in tennis from America participated in a pre-tournament news conference. She conveyed her joy at the development of the Video Assistant Review (VAR) technology, which was first used in the tournament’s previous edition.
During the conversation, Gauff emphasised that even though tennis has more financial support than other sports, many other sports do have a system for video reviews. “I firmly believe that it ought to be here and at 1000 events, particularly at the slams.” Although Gauff agreed that the facility need to be present at every competition, she also mentioned that significant tournaments like the slam should be the first to use it.
“It was at the US Open last year. I was spared from using it. Though I hope not to use it this year, I think it’s a fantastic idea. She went on to consider the suffering that gamers endure in the absence of these technology. The worst thing is, you know, when someone apologises to you after the fact and you’re left thinking, “Thanks, but what good is that going to do for me now?” It will, in my opinion, simply hold everyone accountable. For those who may not be aware, this season’s US Open organisers have chosen to expand the venue to eight courts.
This improvement has the potential to improve the competition’s fairness. Additionally, it would lessen the annoyance of players following contentious umpiring calls.Meanwhile, Gauff has frequently found himself in the middle of these disputes. At the French Open this year, Coco Gauff voiced her displeasure with tennis for not having a video review system.
Iga Swiatek’s serve was called out in the second set of the match, right before Gauff made a long return. However, Gauff angrily maintained that she struck her return after the ball was already called out when the umpire overturned the call and gave Swiatek the point. After the match, she remarked, “I think tennis is the only sport where we not only don’t have the VR system, but a lot of the decisions are made by one person.” She experienced similar events during the Olympics in Paris.
Gauff played Donna Vekic of Croatia in the third round of the 2008 Olympics in Paris. The line umpire signalled a shot by Vekic in the second set. Coco hit the ball out for herself, believing she had won the point. Vekic got the point, meaning the American had to pay for it. The 20-year-old was spotted sobbing uncontrollably and getting into a furious argument with the umpire. She cried, “I’ve been deceived; this isn’t fair.” But Gauff may undoubtedly relax now that the US Open is reintroducing the system. She is not the only athlete, though, who has called for these modifications in the game.
As Novak Djokovic repeated Coco Gauff’s insistence
The contentious umpiring controversy also persisted throughout the just finished Cincinnati Masters. Felix Auger-Aliassime’s shot during the R16 encounter impacted the court prior to Jack Draper’s attempt at a volley. Even though Draper’s return touched his side of the court first, the umpire failed to see it and gave Draper the point, which ultimately resulted in Aliassime’s elimination from the competition. Nole felt incensed by this.
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“It’s embarrassing that we don’t have video replay of these kind of incidents on the court,” Novak Djokovic wrote on his X. The fact that there is no regulation allowing chair umpires to modify the initial call in light of an off-court video review makes the situation even more absurd.
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