Serbian World No 3 Djokovic questions umpire's line calls after shock defeat to Melzer
Serbian World No 3 Djokovic questions umpire's line calls after shock defeat to Melzer
Novak Djokovic launched a blistering, bitter attack on French Open officiating yesterday after he squandered a two sets lead to crash out of Roland Garros against Austrian journeyman Jurgen Melzer.
hey, chair man! Novak Djokovic argues with chair umpire Carlos Bernedes over a line call during his French Open quarter-final match against Jurgen Melzer. pic/Getty Images
The Serbian third seed slumped to a shock 3-6, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 quarter-final defeat to the 29-year-old left-hander, who had never got beyond the third round of his previous 31 Grand Slam appearances.
In a tense conclusion to the 4hr 15min tie, on a sun-kissed Court Suzanne Lenglen, which had seen the Serbian commit 62 unforced errors and face 24 break points, Djokovic believed he was the victim of a bad call in the 10th and last game of the deciding set.
With Melzer serving for the match, Djokovic believed a passing shot called in by the line-judge had given him a 30-0 lead. But chair umpire Carlos Bernardes over-ruled the decision and awarded the point to the Austrian.
"From my side and from my perspective, it was looking good. There was no space between the line and the mark, and that means the ball is good," said Djokovic, who was trying to reach a third French Open semi-final.
"I don't know why the chair umpire got that decision. The umpire has so many years and years experience, and to make such a mistake at that point is unbelievable.
"I don't know what was going on with him, but the ball was looking good from everywhere. Even on the TV you could see it was good. I can't blame him for losing this match, of course. But maybe if that call came in my favour and (Melzer) would feel a little pressure. But I should have done my job earlier. That's definitely my fault, and I paid the consequences."
Despite his anger, Djokovic does not believe the Hawk Eye system, used at the other Grand Slams, should be introduced.
"I don't think there is any sense on getting Hawk Eye on clay courts. You can see the mark." Djokovic, who has followed top seed Roger Federer and fourth seed Andy Murray in making an earlier than expected exit from the tournament, praised Melzer, who now faces four-time champion Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals.
"I made a big mistake. I let him come back into the match with my unforced errors, and then he caught the momentum and he was playing really well, especially on his service games," said the Serbian.
"But this is tennis. These are Grand Slams. You always have to play to the end, because these things happen."
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