Quite a bit of controversy occurred during a Round of 16 match between Great Britain’s Jack Draper and Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Cincinnati Open. Late in the final set, Draper was returning a volley when Auger-Aliassime believed Draper hit the ball before it touched the ground.
However, umpire Greg Allensworth ruled it was a “fair shot” from Draper. Draper even admitted he’d be on board with the point being replayed, but the call wasn’t overturned.
Draper ended up winning the match 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. If Auger-Aliassime had been awarded the point, he would’ve knotted up the game at 40-40, and would’ve tied the third set at five games apiece if he had won the game.
Following the questionable call, tennis star Novak Djokovic took to social media to weigh in on the situation. In fact, Djokovic called for video review in the sport.
“It’s embarrassing that we don’t have video replay of these kind of situations on the court,” Djokovic posted on X. “What’s even more ridiculous is that we don’t have the rule in place that would allow chair umpires to change the original call based on the video review that happens off the court! Everyone who watches TV sees what happened on the replay, yet the players on the court are kept in ‘dark’ not knowing what’s the outcome.”
Video review is utilized in specific situations, such as calls involving the ball being on the line in Grand Slam tournaments. However, smaller events, such as the Cincinnati Open, don’t use Hawk-Eye technology to review every questionable call.
Without the review, Draper was able to hold onto a lead and ultimately ended up winning the match to move on.
