The fallout from Jack Draper’s third round win at the Cincinnati Open has taken another twist.
Roger Federer’s gesture in 2018 might have shown up Jack Draper.
A video of the great Roger Federer choosing to replay a point he’d won unfairly is probably not what Jack Draper needs right now, but that’s exactly what has resurfaced on social media. The British No.1 is under fire after his controversial match point against Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Cincinnati Open, with footage indicating he shanked the ball into the ground before it bounced up and crept over the net.
It sparked a row at the net between the two players and officials that lasted more than four minutes, with the Canadian eventually accepting defeat after the umpire refused to reverse his decision to award Draper the point.
The controversy didn’t end there though, with Novak Djokovic one of a host of high-profile stars to slam the decision making process.
“It’s embarrassing that we don’t have a video replay of these kind of situations on the court,” he posted on X. “What’s even more ridiculous is that we don’t have the rule in place that would allow chair umpires to change the original call based on the video review that happens off the court!
“Everyone who watches TV sees what happened on the replay, yet the players on the court are kept in the dark not knowing what’s the outcome. We have Hawkeye for line calls, we live in the technologically advanced 21st century!”
Nick Kyrgios also weighed in on the ‘horrible call’ from the umpire, and accused of Draper of feigning ignorance. Throughout the on-court arguments, the 22-year-old maintained he was unsure if he’d hit the ball cleanly or not.
Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jack Draper argued at the net for more than four minutes.
That behaviour was in stark contrast to the action Federer took in his match with Robin Haas at the ABN Amro Open in Rotterdam in 2018. The Swiss icon was 1-0 up in the deciding set, and serving at 40-15 when he appeared to send down an ace to consolidate his break.
But immediately, he returned to his mark and prepared a second serve, despite no call from the umpire or line judge. It left a confused Haas asking what was going on, with Federer confirming the ball was ‘definitely out’ and prompting the umpire to issue a fault.
Footage of the incident was posted online by tennis fan @elishasuriila, who wrote: “The match point between Jack Draper and Felix Auger-Aliassime was a disaster, but the players can change the point on their own. Roger Federer called his own serve when the umpire didn’t:”
Draper was beaten in his quarter-final by Holger Rune, but only after doubling down on his role in the drama. However, the Federer footage is unlikely to prove helpful to his claims he was powerless once the call had been made.
“I was shocked at the pass and too busy looking at him (Auger-Aliassime),” he said. “I looked at the umpire to see if he called a double bounce, but he didn’t say it. I couldn’t make that call myself.”
Draper was beaten in his quarter-final by Holger Rune, but only after doubling down on his role in the drama. However, the Federer footage is unlikely to prove helpful to his claims he was powerless once the call had been made.
“I was shocked at the pass and too busy looking at him (Auger-Aliassime),” he said. “I looked at the umpire to see if he called a double bounce, but he didn’t say it. I couldn’t make that call myself.”
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