Stefanos Tsitsipas Insists Upon the Use of Hawk-Eye on Clay

Stefanos Tsitsipas recently defeated Pablo Cuevas in straight sets in the second round of the French Open 2020. This will surely give the Greek player some relief after he narrowly survived a first-round scare against Jaume Munar. After the match, the World No.6 expressed his desire to see the ‘Hawk-Eye’ in French Open.

Asked if it was the right time to introduce Hawk-Eye on the clay surface, Tsitsipas replied in the affirmative.

“For sure. It is time for Hawk-Eye on clay. I don’t understand why they have not proceeded. The surface really doesn’t matter,” said Tsitsipas.

For the uninitiated, Hawk-Eye is a computer vision system to track the trajectory of the ball and where it will most likely hit on a surface. The technology is prevalent in many sports including tennis. In tennis, the system uses 6 or more computer-linked television cameras situated around the court. However, such a system is not currently operational in French Open.

Read More: Why is Hawk-Eye not used at the French Open 2020?

“Fully support that there should be Hawk-Eye in every surface”- Stefanos Tsitsipas

Speaking about technological advancement, the 22-year-old said that new things should be added to every sport with time.

“If technology allows us to do far beyond more things, and current knowledge allows us, I do believe they should implement it (hawk-eye). That’s innovation. We have to keep adding new things to the sport. This will help in making the sport better and more fair,” remarked the Greek.

There has been a long debate on whether hawk-eye should be introduced on clay or not. While Tsitsipas believes it should be, he also admitted that it might not be fully precise.

“I fully support that there should be Hawk-Eye in every surface of tennis, regardless of clay or grass. I know it does leave a mark, but sometimes it’s not as accurate as people think it is,” concluded the World No.6

Clay-court tournaments have seen a spree of wrong calls in the recent past. Fans have seen their favorites lose a match and even a tournament just because of one wrong decision. If technology can help, both fans and experts will accept it willingly.

Stefanos Tsitsipas will next face Aljaz Bedene in the third round of the Roland Garros. The German Open 2020 runner-up will surely want to leave a mark in the French Open 2020 as well.

Also Read: When Stefanos Tsitsipas was enraged with Hawk-Eye’s absence at the Montreal Open 2019