Cameron Norrie was left fuming when the automated system failed to make a call on a Daniil Medvedev shot during their second-round clash at the Italian Open
Cameron Norrie’s match against Daniil Medvedev in Rome took a dramatic turn when the electronic line-calling system at the Italian Open failed to flag a long ball. The new tech, introduced on clay to ensure decisions are clear-cut, didn’t make the ‘out’ call, leaving Norrie to halt play and signal the error himself.
Despite players not being able to challenge the automated calls, the umpire intervened after realising the audio glitch.
Norrie was vindicated in his belief that Medvedev’s shot was out when chair umpire Renaud Lichtenstein was informed via his walkie-talkie about the hawkeye system’s verdict. This incident proved pivotal as Norrie was attempting to break back while down 1-4 in the second set against the world No.10 – a break he achieved once the correct call was confirmed.
The crowd at the Pietrangeli court heard Lichtenstein declare: “Ladies and gentlemen, the system didn’t call the ball, we didn’t have the audio, but they’re going to show the result of the ball, and the ball was out. Game, Norrie.”
Sky Sports commentator Jonathan Overend expressed relief that the umpire corrected the mistake, acknowledging that Norrie could have been unfairly disadvantaged had the point gone to Medvedev. he said: “Good. Hugely relieved about that. The system did call it out but the audio just wasn’t heard.
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“That could be anything, that could be a faulty lead going into the speakers. What a relief because if the system had called it on the line, but the ball mark had clearly shown it out.”
That gave Norrie a much-needed boost after falling behind in the second set, managing to narrow the gap with the former world No. 1. However, Medvedev proved too strong for the Brit, breaking again swiftly and securing a 6-4 6-2 victory.
This isn’t the first time the new electronic line-calling system has been questioned on clay. During the recent Madrid Open, Alexander Zverev appealed to chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani when he believed a shot from his opponent, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, was wide.
The automated system deemed it good and Zverev implored Lahyani to leave his chair and inspect the mark on the court, even if he didn’t overrule it. However, the umpire was not permitted to do so.
The world No. 2 then received a code violation when he photographed the ball mark on his phone. Post-match, Zverev maintained there had been an issue with the technology.
“I honestly think that there was a malfunction in the system in that moment. That’s why I went to the umpire and I said, ‘Please, come down to have a look at this, I’m not crazy’. I can see what was happening,” he stated post-match.