Rising Star Emma Raducanu Rips Costly Wimbledon Video Replay As 'Very Wrong' After Loss
What happens when the electronic ruling is still wrong?
Women's tennis player Emma Raducanu made sure everyone knew what she felt about Wimbledon's electronic vehicle replay system after it appeared to cost the rising star a huge point and perhaps the third-round match on Friday against Aryna Sabalenka.
"That call was, like, for sure out," Raducanu told reporters after her loss. "It’s kind of disappointing, the tournament here, that the calls can be so wrong!"
Replay Rulings Have Been ‘Very Wrong’
The controversial call came after opponent Aryna Sabalenka's serve looked to miss the white perimeter line entirely, and thus should have been considered out of bounds.
Instead, the automatic video replay system said that the ball slightly touched the line (it didn't) and Sabelenka was rewarded for the point helping her go up 30-0 during a crucial set. She would eventually come back from behind and win 7-6, 6-4.
"I’ve had a few [replay rulings] in my other matches, too, that have been very wrong. So yeah, I don’t know. Hopefully, they can fix that," the 22-year-old Raducanu continued.
Despite the frustration, Raducanu told reporters that she would be using the situation as motivation to keep getting better in the future.
"I’ll probably find it tough to sleep tonight. It’s going to take me a few days to process. But at the same time, it really motivates me."
"It could be a good thing that I’m like, ‘OK, I want to get straight back to work.’ I want to solidify my game so that in the big moments I can back myself a little bit more."
Raducanu handled that a lot better than I would have, as it begs the question: What happens when even the replay technology gets a call wrong? Sure, this was between two lesser-known tennis players, but imagine if this occurred during a match featuring Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal?
Once again, professional sports' shift to relying on technology rather than the human element, has proved costly.
Sabalenka will now face Elise Mertens on Sunday in the round of 16, while Raducanu will be watching from back home.