Feb 24, 2022·edited Feb 24, 2022Liked by Matthew Willis
Why did not the umpire not seriously reprimand Zverev when he called him a "fucking idiot" earlier in the match? That is a red-card offence in EVERY football code, be it soccer, rugby union, rugby league, Aussie Rules or American. He would have been off the pitch quick-smart, and facing the judiciary the next day to explain himself, looking at a fine, suspension or even ban, depending on how severe it was.
And why did his doubles partner not step in drag Zverev away, as would have happened in a football game? Lots of dysfunctional behaviour on display in that incident.
If I may, while umpires are at the receiving end in general, would it also be useful to know what happens to umpires who make those absolute clunkers, how their “grades” are affected after they’ve done what they’ve done? Should tennis also provide more transparency on these decisions and how they are reprimanded? Mariana Alves’ US Open ended after her 2004 clunker. But she didn’t really lose her job thereafter. In fact she remained fairly elite for a long time. For an absolute clunker of a decision.
I think that's reasonable. While I think the higher priority issue is umpire abuse, there is certainly the flipside RE umpire mistakes and punishment. Players can already refer especially egregious umpire mistakes or conduct to tournament referee's, the ITF/ATP/WTA et al, which sometimes result in opaque sanctions like a certain umpire not being able to officiate the next match or similar. But this process is generally not public, nor well codified.
How long? I'd say minimum acceptable would be through IW/Miami. I wouldn't object to through French. More likely to be harsh on Zverev, as he is seen as a problem character (and I'd agree with that assessment).
Why did not the umpire not seriously reprimand Zverev when he called him a "fucking idiot" earlier in the match? That is a red-card offence in EVERY football code, be it soccer, rugby union, rugby league, Aussie Rules or American. He would have been off the pitch quick-smart, and facing the judiciary the next day to explain himself, looking at a fine, suspension or even ban, depending on how severe it was.
And why did his doubles partner not step in drag Zverev away, as would have happened in a football game? Lots of dysfunctional behaviour on display in that incident.
If I may, while umpires are at the receiving end in general, would it also be useful to know what happens to umpires who make those absolute clunkers, how their “grades” are affected after they’ve done what they’ve done? Should tennis also provide more transparency on these decisions and how they are reprimanded? Mariana Alves’ US Open ended after her 2004 clunker. But she didn’t really lose her job thereafter. In fact she remained fairly elite for a long time. For an absolute clunker of a decision.
I think that's reasonable. While I think the higher priority issue is umpire abuse, there is certainly the flipside RE umpire mistakes and punishment. Players can already refer especially egregious umpire mistakes or conduct to tournament referee's, the ITF/ATP/WTA et al, which sometimes result in opaque sanctions like a certain umpire not being able to officiate the next match or similar. But this process is generally not public, nor well codified.
BTW, my apologies for overusing the word "clunker"! I think I used up my quota for the year.
How long? I'd say minimum acceptable would be through IW/Miami. I wouldn't object to through French. More likely to be harsh on Zverev, as he is seen as a problem character (and I'd agree with that assessment).