Challenging calls

[Fedchamp]

Players checking the mark before they challenge with Hawkeye. Opinions please?

 

[bluetrain4]

God, I'm so sick of everything call related - challenging when the player already knows the results to get a replay or just to stall, looking to the box to decide whether to challenge, challenging just to annoy the other player, checking the mark before challenging, waiting too long to challenge.

I actually agree with Mary Carillo. The technology is there, use it. On every point. Have the chair ump have a small screen so he can immediately review all calls if need be and assure the player whether it is in or out. Don't make a big deal about it. Quit the pointless drama.

Are linespeople such an integral tradition in tennis that we must have them. If yes, then have them to make the obvious calls and if anything is in question, allow the chair ump to quickly render a decision.

The whole challenge allotment scheme is stupid.

Perfect example, Tsonga just hit a serve out, came in and hit a volley winner. Djokovic could not have challenged in time, unless he didn't return the ball. Why, since we know it was clearly out, should Djoker lose that point? It's stupid. And, this is coming from someone rooting for Tsonga.

 

[Sartorius]

I actually agree with Mary Carillo. The technology is there, use it. On every point. Have the chair ump have a small screen so he can immediately review all calls if need be and assure the player whether it is in or out. Don't make a big deal about it. Quit the pointless drama.

Are linespeople such an integral tradition in tennis that we must have them. If yes, then have them to make the obvious calls and if anything is in question, allow the chair ump to quickly render a decision.

Word.

Personally I don't like players slowly walking towards the mark, or even slowly towards the net to see the mark that is at the other side of the net, examine it, turn around, start walking to the baseline, then at an instant turn back to the umpire to signal the challenge. Yes, I don't like that. Maybe it doesn't happen often and it's not that much against logic to check marks because everyone does it on clay for instance, but it does happen occasionally. That aside, sometimes players simply take too much time.

That's nothing new though. What actually bothers me is this: Take that process I wrote above and add this somewhere: "...look at your entourage/coach to see what they think". If anything, I think this at least should be strictly illegal. The player and the player alone has to make the challenge, not someone sitting up in the stands.

 

[bluetrain4]

At the very least, make review of calls on set points and match points automatic, such that if a player has used up all their challenges, they can still have set point or match point reviewed.

But, again, I say review all calls as need be.

 

[baseliner]

Checking the "mark" on hard courts is an inexact science at best. Most of the challenges after checking the mark seem to fail.