World No. 2 German player Alexander Zverev recently shared his perspective on the electronic line-calling system used in tennis.
He recalled a specific incident at the Madrid tournament during his match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Zverev believed his opponent`s shot was clearly out, while the electronic system called it good. Zverev photographed the mark on the clay court, resulting in a warning from the umpire.
Asked if he was relieved that Roland Garros would continue using human linespeople following issues observed elsewhere, Zverev replied with a smile, “They are keeping them? Well, last year they failed me.”
He was referring to a crucial moment in the Rome Masters final the previous year against Carlos Alcaraz. At a score of 6/3, 2/6, 5/7, 6/1, 2/1, 15:40, Alcaraz hit what appeared to be a double fault, but the umpire inspected the mark and ruled the serve in. Zverev was unable to convert any of the break points in that pivotal game.
When it was suggested that such situations make winning difficult, Zverev responded, “I can win. I can, but… Last year, the chair umpire really did mess me up, that`s a fact.”
“Honestly, I like the electronic system,” Zverev continued. “I think in Monte Carlo and Munich there were no errors at all. But in Madrid, there were just some problems. So, I`ll attribute it to that specific tournament, because in the preceding weeks everything worked excellently and without errors.”
“I still believe we are moving in the right direction with this technology. When errors like the ones in Madrid occur, perhaps something needs to be slightly adjusted or the system recalibrated for the following day.”
On the question of whether a decision should be overturnable if a system error is glaringly obvious, Zverev stated, “In the case of Madrid, the error was obvious. It wasn`t just about [Alejandro] Davidovich Fokina`s shot, but also my own serve on game point. I crossed to the other side and clearly saw the mark – it was definitely out too.”
He admitted, “I don`t know. I don`t have the ultimate solution. In Madrid, it didn`t work well, but in tournaments before that, it worked better than if human judges were making the calls.”
“I don`t know how to fully answer that. It`s not my decision to make. But when it`s so apparent, perhaps the umpire should have the authority to descend from the chair and check the mark. If we`re talking about millimeters – then no. If we`re talking about three, four, five centimeters – maybe,” Zverev concluded during a press conference at the Rome Masters.
