Daniil Medvedev exploded for the second time in as many days during a telephone conversation in Monte Carlo, highlighting the danger of employing human officials in this technological age.
“Open your crazy eyes,” Medvedev told referee Carlos Bernardes and supervisor Cedric Mourier before receiving a point for his outburst.
Medvedev’s latest tantrum supports the theory that 2024 is likely to be a bumpy final season for human linesmen on clay.
Next year the robots will take over, at least on the ATP Tour, but before then there are three more elite clay court events to be negotiated (Barcelona, Madrid and Rome), as well as the French Open and the Olympic tennis event. both of which will be performed at Roland Garros.
On Thursday, Medvedev called Mourier to court to argue that a shot by Karen Khachanov – the Russian compatriot who eventually defeated him 6-3, 7-5 – had flown wide.
On Wednesday, Medvedev had complained that one of Gael Monfils’ blows should have been whistled long and softened by chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani. “Daniil, please don’t shout at him,” said Lahyani, known as a skilled player whisperer in such moments of high tension. “He [the line judge] can also make a mistake.”
These types of arguments should become rarer next year, when ELC – or electronic telephony – becomes universally available throughout the clay season. Both the Hawk-Eye and Foxtenn systems have successfully passed a testing process on gravel, which took some time as this is not a completely flat or rigid surface, and have therefore been approved by the ATP.
For now, however, players and officials rely on the marks left by the bouncing ball in the clay dust. This is a notoriously subjective process, ideally requiring a Sherlock Holmes-style magnifying glass. Disagreements often develop into finger-pointing rows in which an increasingly angry player tries to convince the referee that a ball has not touched the line.
Disputes become all the more fierce because ELC is now universal in top-level hard court events. The protagonists have become increasingly accustomed to its clinical, frictionless approach, and are thus all the more likely to boil over when confronted with what they see as human error.
There are also reasons for concern for Wimbledon. A great lover of tradition, the All England Club still uses human linesmen, supported by the challenge system (where a player can call on Hawk-Eye for an over-rule, but only three times per set) .
In an age when most telephone calls are made by robots, the AELTC risks appearing anachronistic. Last year, Andy Murray’s chances of a third-round win over Denis Shapovalov fell sharply when a crucial return of serve was wrongly called. Murray could have challenged but declined to do so because, in his words, “it was right under the referee’s nose”.
Asked if the mistake had changed his view of robot referees, Murray said: “At this point, of course, I would prefer it to be automatic. It’s a tough one because I probably prefer having line judges on the field. It feels more comfortable to me. The challenges – I think the audience, the TV, probably like it. But if mistakes are made at important moments, you don’t want that.”
Since ELC became the norm at hard-court events, the referees’ skills have become rusty and their ability to spot bad decisions is diminishing. An official told Telegraph Sport: “It can be very difficult to maintain concentration when your role doesn’t go much further than monitoring the players’ behavior and asking the crowd not to shout during rallies. ”
To return to Thursday’s play in Monte Carlo, Medvedev went over Mourier with an impassioned argument that he knew was being captured on the cameras on the field.
“Cedric, the mark is panicking,” Medvedev said. “They don’t know how to referee anymore. Who will take action? Yesterday the ball was out of bounds. There’s a call incoming. Who takes action? This ball is there. Who will take responsibility? It is not my responsibility to referee the matches.
“It’s the man with the glasses,” Medvedev added in his ruthless way. “He doesn’t need glasses because he can’t see anything. He is not allowed to be a referee. It’s in front of him. It’s a slow ball. It’s 3-30 at 5-5. He is not allowed to be a referee. He must be outside the referee’s circle. Who will take responsibility? Answer this. Looking at camera. You are the supervisor.”
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