It was a dramatic ending to the third-round match between Jack Draper and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Draper was serving for the match in the third set, with the score, 40-30, and a match point for Draper. The Brit served and the sequence after Auger-Aliassime made the return was — The ball hits Draper’s racquet, then the ground, the racquet again and travels from the racquet to the net and drops on the Canadian’s side. It should have been Auger-Aliassime’s point but the umpire called — game, set and match Draper.
*Draper's ball hits the racquet twice*
– Umpire says it's good, game, set & match Draper
– Auger-Aliassime does not agree at allHuge DRAMA on match point in Cincinnati 😱pic.twitter.com/T5bx3LAjkU
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) August 17, 2024
Felix Auger-Aliassime asked the umpire “Did you not see the ball bounce on the floor? He shanked it on the floor.” The umpire (Greg Allensworth) replied that he did not see that. Draper said he didn’t know and was looking at Auger-Aliassime as he hit the half-volley and was willing to replay the point if there was a replay. Auger-Aliassime said: “It doesn’t matter where you were looking. You have played enough that you know.”
It’s hard to believe that Draper didn’t know, he would have surely felt it. Players tend to know exactly if the ball hit the ground. He could have conceded the point and that might have changed the outcome, but obviously, it’s a match point in a big tournament so, easier said than done. The umpire’s error was a human error, which is understandable and can happen to anyone but these errors are costing players matches and big prize money. It’s 2024 and we still don’t have video replay in tennis officiating, which would solve all these calls.
Auger-Aliassime was a Class Act
Despite knowing that Draper knew he hit the ball to the ground, Auger-Aliassime said it was not Draper’s decision to make but the umpire’s. He handled this bad call better than almost any other player would have. He was 100% reasonable and accurate, with zero overreaction and was so calm, that many players would be furious. Probably the most composed you can be after a terrible decision steals away a match-point save that would have brought it to deuce. If anything deserved an overreaction it would’ve been this, and no one would blame him.
The umpire should have been honest and said he wasn’t 100% sure and should have offered the solution of the replay in that situation, he certainly didn’t seem that sure of himself when explaining his decision to Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian being a class act asked the umpire one last time whether he was 100% sure about his decision and the umpire said “This is how I saw it.” Unfortunately, the umpire was wrong but Auger-Aliassime accepted the decision and shook hands with Draper and the umpire.
Main Photo Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
