French Open: 'I’m telling you!' - Confusion as Alexander Zverev thinks game is over but serve called out
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Published 07/06/2023 at 15:27 GMT
It took a while for Alexander Zverev to realise that he would have to complete a second delivery after he had walked away thinking he had already clinched his opening service game with a big ace in his French Open quarter-final with Tomas Martin Etcheverry on Wednesday afternoon. The German did not manage to persuade the umpire that his serve was in, however, and he had to try again.
Confusion as Zverev disputes line call with umpire after walking away
There was a strange moment of confusion in the second game of Alexander Zverev's French Open quarter-final with Tomas Martin Etcheverry as he walked away thinking he had served an ace, only to then realise it had been called out.
Zverev fired a big serve out wide with Etcheverry unmoved from his spot behind the baseline and no call coming from the line judge, but then chair umpire Alison Hughes called 'fault' by way of an overrule on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
However, Hughes' ruling was certainly hard to hear as the crowd applauded what they thought was a pretty impressive ace from the German. Equally, Zverev walked away, seemingly thinking it was the end of the game and he therefore needed to get ready to receive from his opponent.
A confused Nick Lester, on commentary for Eurosport at the time, said: "A call coming from the chair. Zverev either didn’t hear it or is not having it!
"Alison Hughes is the chair umpire and Zverev, ultimately, is going to have to go back and hit a second serve."
Indeed, Hughes had to come down from her chair to show Zverev where she felt the ball landed, and to point out to him that he would need to complete a second serve with that one being out.
"Yeah, the one closer, that’s out," Zverev maintained, suggesting that the mark being pointed out was from another shot.
"It bounced here at the front of the line, I’m telling you!"
It did not deter the 22nd seed too much as he went on to win the opening set 6-4 against the Argentine to make a strong start to the last-eight encounter at Roland-Garros.
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