World No. 29 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina commented on a controversial incident involving the Hawk-Eye Live system during his match against Alexander Zverev at the Madrid tournament.
The situation unfolded at a score of 2/6, 5/4 in the match. Zverev contested a shot hit by Davidovich Fokina, believing it had landed wide, but the Hawk-Eye Live system ruled the ball in. Zverev then engaged in a discussion with chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani, who declined to leave his chair to inspect the mark on the clay court. When the call was not overturned, Zverev reportedly used his phone to take a photograph of the mark.
Speaking about the incident at a press conference, Davidovich Fokina shared his perspective:
“When I saw the mark from my side of the court, I immediately understood it was a clear error. I cannot understand how the system determined the ball was in the court. I agree with Sascha [Zverev]: this system needs to be changed. This is not normal.”
Rupert Hartwell