TENNIS fans called for a player to be banned after a shocking act on court which saw him disqualified.
Alexander Donski was playing alongside Siddhant Banthia in the ATP Challenger tournament in Barletta on the east coast of Italy.
Having won a tight clash on Wednesday, they faced Italian duo Gianluca Cadenasso and Simone Agostini in the quarter-finals.
The home favourites took the first set 6-2.
But things took a shock turn in the latter stages of the second.
With Donski and Banthia leading 4-3, it went to deuce on the Italians’ serve – which means a sudden-death point to decide the game rather than the traditional advantage scoring.
Therefore it was both game point for the servers and break point for the receivers, which would give them a 5-3 lead and the chance to serve for the set.
The receivers choose which side the point will start on – and opted for Donski to return.
But when the Bulgarian hit his comfortable forehand return straight at the volleyer, it gave Agostini an easy drop volley to win the game.
Donski chased after the ball but could not retrieve it before the double bounce – and the Italians had levelled the set at 4-4.
But as the ball bounced towards Donski, the world No203 doubles ace swiped his racquet at it furiously and sent the ball hurtling back over the net.
However, in his fit of rage, he accidentally blasted the ball straight at Agostini and whacked him directly in the head at dangerously high speed.
Donski immediately held up his racquet in apology as he walked towards his stricken opponent to check on him.
A physio was called to the court where they treated Agostini, who stayed on his feet but clutched his head.
But for Donski and Banthia, their fate was clear.
The supervisor and umpire had no choice but to default the Bulgarian-Indian duo for Donski’s reckless act.
Disqualification means players are stripped of prize money and ranking points.
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However, tennis fans on social media do not believe that is enough of a punishment for Donski’s horrendous act.
One said: “I feel like disqualifying is kind. They need to start giving some suspensions because it’s stillllll happeningggg.
“Dude could easily have concussion or internal bleeding. That was f***ing pelted at his head.”
Another wrote: “One of the most deserved defaults this year so far.”
And a third added: “They gotta STOP all this c**p. It’s a privilege to play a child’s game to make a living, not a right.
“When they fail to regulate behavior, even in the form of yelling/screaming/language, it leads to this type of stuff.
“Yes, it’s tragic in a way, because of all the emotion involved in these matches, it’s really hard to control oneself, but the rules must be enforced.”
Wimbledon ditching line judges a double fault for British tennis
By Joshua Jones
THE absence of line judges at Wimbledon will be a sad sight.
For as long as I can remember, the men and women decked out in their Ralph Lauren outfits have been part of the furniture at the All England Club.
Yes, they provided some mild entertainment on the court when one would call “fault” with plenty of extra, and unnecessary, gusto and volume that boomed around Centre Court, prompting a snigger from the fans.
Then there was the ongoing game of dodgeball they had to play when a big serve nailed a mammoth ace down the line and they had to take rapid evasive action or take a whack to the top of the head.
And challenges provided some audience participation, excitedly joining in the clapping countdown before the inevitable “oooh” when the graphic showed just how close the ball was to landing in or out.
Purely objectively, Wimbledon’s decision to replace line judges with Hawk-Eye Live makes total sense.
The accuracy and consistency of calls in real-time will speed things up, save time and should mark the end of arguments over the tight incorrect calls – well, until the technology malfunctions.
And Wimbledon’s hand was somewhat forced to ditch tradition for their standing in tennis.
The Australian Open and US Open already use electronic line calling and the ATP Tour is adopting Hawk-Eye Live across all of its tournaments from 2025.
Wimbledon’s refusal to comply would leave them lagging behind and exposed to the threat of needless controversy over human error.
But the impact – as is so often the case in these decisions – has ramifications further down, below the surface with very little impact on Wimbledon’s Championships or the players.
It is on the line judges themselves.
Approximately 300 officials – aged from 18 to 80 – covered more than 650 matches at Wimbledon.
A fraction travel internationally with the circuit but the vast majority of those are part-time line judges based in the UK, earning up to £180 per day to work at the prestigious tournament and their chance to play their part at Wimbledon.
For many, they will help out at British tournaments throughout the year, spurred on by the possibility of taking to the lawns of the All England Club.
But it is understood many of those officials would be reluctant to work at the lower-level tournaments without the carrot of Wimbledon dangling in the summer.
That in turn will put a major stumbling block in the pathway for British tennis umpires, who grind up through the ranks to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
Like football with referees, tennis needs umpires and line judges.
So the inability to call “out” at Wimbledon could prove to be a major “fault” for the future of the UK’s tennis officials and therefore the state of the sport on these shores.
Read the full article here