Novak Djokovic Criticizes Controversial Umpiring Decision at Cincinnati Open 2024
Legendary tennis player Novak Djokovic has expressed his extreme dissatisfaction of the contentious umpiring call that overshadowed Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jack Draper’s Cincinnati Open Round of 16 match.
When Draper gained a match point with a shot that seemed to bounce on his side of the court before crossing the net—a circumstance that should have given Auger-Aliassime the point—the match ended in controversy.
Felix Auger-Aliassime’s Cincinnati Open season ended controversially in the Round of 16, as he lost to Jack Draper in a contentious match. When Draper, with a match point, struck a shot that seemed to bounce on his side of the court before crossing the net, Auger-Aliassime should have been awarded the point, and the match came to a boiling point.
But without instant review, chair umpire Greg Allensworth decided in Draper’s favor, finishing the match and igniting a heated argument on the court.
Auger-Aliassime was clearly irritated after the heated call. He and Draper and the umpire had a lengthy conversation in which he claimed that the point should have been his because of the apparent double bounce. Since then, the incident has sparked debate among experts and fans over the necessity of technology support during such pivotal situations.
The legendary Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic also responded angrily to the incident on Saturday. Djokovic said on his official X account that it was “embarrassing” that there was still no video support available to help resolve such issues.
The lack of video replay for these kinds of incidents on the court is shameful. Even more absurd is the fact that there is currently no regulation allowing chair umpires to modify their initial call in light of off-court video reviews. stated Djokovic.
According to Djokovic, replays help viewers who watch the game on television make better decisions because they keep the players in the dark about the final result.
While the players on the court are kept in the “dark,” unaware of the outcome, everyone watching TV may see what happened on the replay. We live in the highly technologically advanced 21st century; we have Hawkeye for line calls! The legendary Serbian tennis player pleaded with the corresponding Tours to ensure that such foolishness never occurs again.
Although the US Open uses cutting-edge technology to help with line calls, most other competitions—including the Cincinnati Open—have not made the same kind of expenditures. This causes players’ and spectators’ irritation when important points depend on perhaps erroneous human judgment.
The tennis community has long been divided over this ongoing problem, with well-known players like Daniil Medvedev raising concerns about the reliability and accuracy of officiating.
