Tennis fans are fuming, and it’s not hard to see why. Picture this: you’ve just played one of the most exhilarating matches of your career, defeating an opponent ranked well above you. The adrenaline is still pumping, the crowd is buzzing, and you’re on top of the world. But then, the excitement fades as you realize something disheartening—your fans, the ones who have supported you through thick and thin, didn’t get to witness the crucial moments of your triumph. That’s the unfortunate reality Brandon Nakashima is facing after his latest victory at the Canadian Open.

The World No. 52 outclassed compatriot Tommy Paul in a three-setter match in Toronto 6-2, 6(5)-7, 6-1. But what led to a huge furor was the fact that his match was not even broadcast completely by the tennis channels. They immediately switched their focus to the match between Coco Gauff and Yafan Wang. The channel claimed to show the remaining of the match on their streaming platform Tennis Channel Plus, but the users faced disappointment even there. 

Sharing this information on X (formerly Twitter,) one user highlighted the conversation they had with the broadcasters via mail. Attaching the screenshot of the email, the user wrote, “@TennisChannel takes off Paul-Nakashima in the middle of the second set. Tells viewers they can watch the rest of it on TC+. I go to TC+ and it’s nowhere to be found. Inquire with customer support and am told “don’t worry, a replay of the match will be available shortly” 🤦🏻‍♂️ 

While the channel will surely attempt to calm the scenario, the fans are shocked and miffed over the incident that happened and their anger is evident on social media. 

‘I am so mad’ – Tennis channel under fire over biased attitude

As soon as the above tweet went viral, several fans joined to express similar situations. “I am so mad I didn’t get to see the end of the second set of Paul-Nakashima,” a user wrote. The match ceased to broadcast right when Paul and Nakashima were 6-6 in the second set. With the set and eventually the match having the possibility of shifting to either side, stopping the broadcast was indeed not an ideal choice. 

Another user responded similarly. “It is quite irritating when they tell viewers they can watch the match on TC+. Charge said viewers over $100 for the subscription. And then there is no match to be found on TC+. Not the first or second or tenth time this has happened. Someone needs to start a class action…” The broadcasting company has received widespread flak in the past as well for similar happenings. Fans have accused the channel of performing such acts deliberately to force users into buying a subscription to their channel. Besides, the company has also received backlash over alleged bias scheduling that focuses only on male and American tennis players. But interestingly, while both the players were male and from America, the channel decided to cut the broadcast in between and telecast Gauff’s match against  Wang. More users joined the fray. 

Responding to the tweet, one user wrote, “You guys are awful.  Paul v Nakashima on tennis channel. Then you switch it to Gauff but the Paul/Nakashima match isnt even available on TCPlus now.  Wtf???  Show all courts on TC Plus!!  Its a friggen masters.” Paul his fresh off his Olympic bronze medal victory alongside Taylor Fritz in the doubles segment. Besides, he also clinched the title at the Queen’s Club championships. On the contrary, Gauff has failed to win anything significant ever since her doubles win at the French Open. In such a situation as this, stopping the broadcast of Paul cannot be justified.  

The anger was similar for others too. “You’ll be able to watch it in replay but yeah this sucks. Not a cheap subscription for something so niche. They could at least have a non-cable, no commentary stream or something for TC+” The channel requires its fans to pay a whopping $109.99 yearly. But despite this, the channel failed to telecast the match in live time which the fans wanted to watch. Besides, the absence of any alternatives that could have ensured the fans taking a glimpse of Paul and Nakashima’s tussle on the court, has further miffed the audience.

Yet another user simply reiterated the fact. “@TennisChannel so we were told that since TC was moving to Coco’s match that we could see the rest of Tommy Paul’s match on T2 or TC+. It’s not even an option on TC+ and T2 is showing Medvedev. #OBN24” As the tournament progresses, it would be interesting to see if more such players become victims of such happenings. Can Tennis Channel overcome the barriers? Only time will tell.