"Same way Medvedev was robbed";"Get this umpire fired"- Fans incensed by alleged wrong line call during Holger Rune-Jannik Sinner Monte-Carlo clash
Tennis fans were left outraged by the alleged incorrect line call during the Monte-Carlo Masters quarterfinal match between Holger Rune and Jannik Sinner.
Second-seeded Sinner defeated Rune 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 in two hours and 41 minutes to move to his third ATP Masters 1000 tournament semifinal this season. The World No. 2 will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last four.
However, the match was overshadowed by a controversial incident - there was an alleged incorrect line call made against Holger Rune. During the match, Jannik Sinner hit a ball that was initially called out. However, the umpire inspected the mark on the red dirt, then reversed the decision and awarded the point to the Italian.
This decision understandably upset Rune, who engaged in a heated discussion with the umpire. The match continued, but Hawkeye technology, which is not being used at the Monte-Carlo Masters but is available to broadcasters, showed that the ball was out.
Fans expressed their frustration on social media, with one fan drawing comparisons to similar problems Daniil Medvedev faced in earlier rounds at Monte-Carlo.
"Same way Meddy was robbed, Electronic line calling on all surfaces is a must, this errors are unacceptable," a fan posted on X (formerly Twitter).
"Get this joke of an umpire fired asap," the fan posted.
"I think this chair umpire should not work anymor, period. That ball was clearly out and he changed the course of the tiebreak with that point replay. Absolute biased. Chair umpires should be accountable for their atrocious mistakes! #MonteCarloMasters," the fan posted.
Some fans even called for the umpire to be removed from officiating future matches, labeling the reversal of the call "daylight robbery."
"Umpire changing line judge call When its clearly out. Day light robbery," a fan posted.
"First he gives you the unfair code violation then he robbes you. Corruption in plain sight," another fan posted.
One fan pointed out that inaccuracy of Hawk-Eye on clay, thus arguing that the umpire cannot be blamed for the alleged incorrect line call based solely on what the electronic line calling showed afterwards.
"Hawkeye confirms it is out" stop spreading misinformation, uncalibrated TV HawkEye on clay is not confirmation of anything," a fan wrote.
Another fan suggested imposing fines on umpires who make "wrong calls."
"Introduce fines for umpires who make wrong calls 👏 ," they wrote.
Holger Rune to drop out of the top 10 in the ATP World Rankings
Holger Rune kicked off his singles campaign at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters in the second round, following a first-round bye. He secured a victory in his opening match against qualifier Sumit Nagal 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.
The Dane continued his winning streak by defeating Grigor Dimitrov in a thrilling match 7-6(9), 3-6, 7-6(2) in the third round. However, his journey came to an end in the quarterfinals when he was defeated by Jannik Sinner.
As the Monte-Carlo Masters concludes on Sunday, April 14 and the ATP World Rankings are updated on Monday, Holger Rune will drop outside the top 10 rankings due to his subpar performance this week.