Navarro calls for video ruling on contentious calls
American Emma Navarro says tennis needs to use video replays to adjudicate on contentious decisions after being on the rough end of a double-bouncer at the Australian Open.
The No.8 seed was trounced 6-1 6-2 by Polish world No.2 Iga Swiatek in their quarter-final clash on Wednesday, but her cause was hardly helped by the controversial moment.
Navarro was convinced that the ball had bounced twice before Swiatek retrieved a drop shot in the fifth game of the second set.
But because she played the point out – and lost it – her appeal to the chair umpire for a review fell on deaf ears.
“It happened so fast. I don’t know if (Swiatek) knew or not,” said Navarro, who backed up her career-best semi-final appearance at last year’s US Open with the run to the Australian Open quarter-finals.
“Ultimately, it’s up to the ref to make the call.
“It is what it is, I guess. It’s tough to place blame on anybody. It’s a tough call.
“The rules should be different. We should be able it on look at it afterwards and decide.”
Five-time major winner Swiatek said she did not know if the ball had bounced twice or not.
“Honestly, I didn’t see the replay after this point because after the point I didn’t look up to the screens,” she said.
“I wanted to stay focused and didn’t want this point to stay in my head for a longer period of time.
“I wasn’t sure if it was a double bounce or I hit it with my frame.
“It was hard to say because I was fully sprinting and I don’t remember even seeing the contact point.
“… I thought this is like the umpire’s kind of job to call it.”
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