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Martina Navratilova during the Ladies’ Invitation Doubles final on July 4, 2010. Press Association via AP Images
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Martina Navratilova during the Ladies’ Invitation Doubles final on July 4, 2010. Press Association via AP Images
Following the two clay events in Madrid and Rome, the French Open is also turning out to be a bit controversial. With political issues to umpiring decisions to players leaving before the press conference, Roland Garros is in quite the tiff. Adding to umpiring problems, a recent event led to a controversial decision regarding the dismissal of two players in doubles. With the followers of the sport displeased at the decision, Martina Navratilova also chimed in with her disappointment.
However, a fan reminded her of a similar situation with Novak Djokovic. He was defaulted from the 2020 US Open for a similar issue, and Navratilova was wholeheartedly against the Serb at the time. How did she side-step this clever trap from the Nole fan? Let’s check out.
Martina Navratilova shuts out a Djokovic fan
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After the dismissal of Aldila Sutjiadi and Miyu Kato in the women’s doubles, many tennis fans cried foul-play. The decision that led to the disqualification was a show of unsportsmanlike conduct. The anger, directed at the umpire, was also thrown at the opponents of the defaulted players who pushed for such a decision. Martina Navratilova also cried to the heavens and said that the default of such a level is malicious.
However, she did not expect a fan would hold on to his anger from another similar situation. When Novak Djokovic received a dismissal from the 2020 US Open, Navratilova was against the Serbian legend. It was a similar situation where Djokovic accidentally hit a linesman. The user reminded her of her reaction in that situation. But, Navratilova stated that the two situations were not the same by any means.
The user stated, “Same with Djokovic. Your reaction was different,” and Navratilova replied, “Wasn’t the same thing and you know it. Apples and oranges. Nice try though and predictable too“.
Wasn’t the same thing and you know it. Apples and oranges. Nice try though and predictable too
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) June 4, 2023
The controversial decision was a grave reminder of umpiring problems that have plagued the ongoing clay-court championships in Paris.
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Some controversial decisions taken during the ongoing French Open
Apart from the defaulting incident, the Roland Garros continues to be a controversial stage. Frances Tiafoe was ousted in a match where he was leading. Alexander Zverev hit a shot at the end of the second set, which was called inside the bounds. But a review later showed that the shot was out; the point remained in Zverev’s favor. The shift in momentum helped Zverev, who won the match.
Watch This Story: Novak Djokovic Not as Charismatic as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Claims Former French Open Winner
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In Holger Rune vs Francisco Cerundolo, a clear double bounce was missed by the umpire. Rune was not able to reach the ball on time and hit back. Cerundolo protested that it was a fault, but instead, he was charged for hindrance as the ball was still in play. This helped Rune break Cerundolo’s serve in the first set. Eventually, Rune was able to cement his place in the quarterfinal.
With decision after decision enraging fans, the ratings of Roland Garros could dip further. Watch out for any further developments in the controversy list of the clay major.