Is that why the German tennis star lost the French Open final? At least his chances in the fifth set would have been better if the Hawk-Eye system had been in place. But he’s not really angry
Tennis star Alexander Zverev reacted to the bad decision in the fifth set after his defeat in the final at the French Open without any major frustration.
It was “frustrating”, “at the end of the day, of course, it makes a huge difference whether you’re 1:3 down in the fifth set or it’s 2:2 and then the match is open again. But it is what it is. Umpires are only human – and they make mistakes,” said Zverev after his 3:6, 6:2, 7:5, 1:6, 2:6 defeat to Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in Paris on Sunday. However, he also emphasized: “In situations like this, you hope that there are no mistakes.”
That’s what happened: In the 5th set at 1:2 and 40:15 in Zverev’s favor, the line judge called an out on Alcaraz’s second serve, but chair umpire Renaud Lichtenstein corrected the decision after seeing the ball’s imprint on the clay on Court Philippe Chatrier. As the Hawk-Eye images later proved, this was a wrong decision. The ball had missed the line slightly
Zverev: Alcaraz “deserved to win “
Lichtenstein, however, did not have these pictures available. Unlike at the other Grand Slam tournaments, technical aids are not used to track the ball at the French Open. At the US Open, Australian Open, Wimbledon and many other tournaments, electronic line calling has already replaced line judges and the out call is automated. The system is to be used across the board on the ATP Tour from 2025.
After the scene, Alcaraz (21) served for 3:1 and shortly afterwards won the fifth set and with it the match and the tournament. There were “many unfortunate moments”, said Zverev (27). However, he did not want to use the situation as an excuse for his second defeat in his second Grand Slam final since 2020: “Carlos played better in the fourth and fifth sets. I also think he deserved to win. “