Alex Michelsen‘s 20th birthday is being overshadowed by controversy. Yesterday, he played one of his biggest matches ever – the Winston-Salem final against Lorenzo Sonego. But in the first set, as he was down 4-0, Michelsen took a ball out of his pocket and hit it toward the net in frustration. Not realizing the power with which he had hit it, the ball struck a spectator. The young American immediately crouched in horror, thinking the game was done.

Because normally, the chair umpire would default the player for ball mishandling. Instead, Amelie Tourte went over to check if there were any injuries. There weren’t, so she came back to an agitated-looking Michelsen and gave him a violation. The match continued. But almost exactly four years ago, the same umpire had defaulted Novak Djokovic for accidentally hitting a linesperson in the throat. So Michelsen was lucky? Brad Gilbert, the coach of Coco Gauff, thinks so.

It all began when Andy Roddick pointed out the double standards tennis seems to be operating on. “I kinda agree. If you fire one hard and hit a fan, kinda the same to me as an umpire. Action the same. One just way more unlucky. Michelsen reacted like he thought he was toast.” To this, Gilbert had a straightforward response. “He definitely 💯 did was very lucky 🍀 to be able to continue, if that was 1st or 2nd rd match toast,” the coach wrote on X.

Umpire controversies in sports are normal, but fans fighting against a decision to actually let the player play are uncommon. Among those contesting Tourte’s decision has been Nick Kyrgios, who wrote on X, “DEFAULT. my goodness stop with these grey areas. PROHIBITED AT ALL TIMES. same same… gotta keep the sport fair for everyone.”

When Djokovic had been playing against Pablo Carreno Busta in the fourth-round match at the 2020 American major, the opponent broke his serve as he was trailing 6-5 in the first set. The Serbian had no chance to earn his points back as he was suspended from the tournament, ending his Grand Slam dreams. Aurelie Tourte had been the umpire then too.

Some journalists as well as former players weighed in on the Michelsen controversy, stating how Djokovic might just have been ‘unlucky’. Ben Rothenberg writes, “Players launching balls into the crowd is a serious danger to spectators and there should be a zero-tolerance rule adapted for it ASAP. Getting lucky about where it hits should not be enough to escape a major penalty or default. An example should be set.”

Thing is, though, Tourte and the Serbian have had a series of controversies at tournaments in the past, some of which have taken place on clay. Because no video review system equals more chances of bad calls.

When a controversial umpire call cost Novak Djokovic a record trophy

In August 2024, Djokovic holds the most number of ATP Masters 1000 titles at 40. The last two came in 2023 in Cincinnati and Paris, but before that, he might have won one in Monte Carlo in the same year. Unfortunately, he suffered a shocking loss to Lorenzo Mussetti in the second round.

Djokovic was leading 4-3 in the first set when a crucial point turned the match. Musetti hit a forehand long, but the line judge incorrectly called it in. Frustrated at the call, the Serbian urged the chair umpire, aka Tourte, to take a look at the ball mark on the clay for herself. She also judged it to be in, while the Italian crowd booed Djokovic.

It was a pivotal point that he had lost and what’s worse is, replays showed the ball was indeed out. But since clay court tournaments still don’t use a Hawk Eye, Nole was in trouble. This mistake allowed Musetti to regain momentum and ultimately win the set, and the match 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

Over the years, he has faced challenges against umpire rulings, some of which might be fair or unfair. Nevertheless, the latest Michelsen saga might point to a double standard in the game that results in decisions based on how a fan has responded. At least where balls hitting spectators are concerned. What’s your take on the Winston-Salem controversy?