Tensions have spilled over after an umpire error at the Shanghai Masters ended up costing Stan Wawrinka the match.
After a flurry of umpire and ATP beef overshadowed an electric North American swing of tennis, it looked as if the relationship was about to heal.
Scheduling issues were the only real hiccup in an otherwise smooth US Open fortnight.
Now well into the penultimate Masters 1000 event of the year in Shanghai, a quick double-episode of on-court fury has compromised player-official relations once again.
While Frances Tiafoe’s outburst in his defeat to Roman Safiullin on Tuesday was both loud, unpleasant, and frankly uncharacteristic, a mistake the day before has been another major talking-point.
Nick Kyrgios claims umpire should’ve been fired ages ago after latest error
After an umpire error cost Stan Wawrinka the only break in a match he eventually lost to Flavio Cobolli, players have rallied round the Swiss player calling for veteran Brazilian official Carlos Bernardes to be removed.
A distracted Bernardes called the score wrong in the second game of the third set (0-30 instead of 15-15) and nobody noticed the error, including the players. This then resulted in the only break of the match which Cobolli went on to win.
While a Nick Kyrgios outburst at an umpire ought to be taken with a pinch of salt, this specific blunder did end up having a significant effect on the outcome of the match.
The Australian posted on X: “BERNARDES SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIRED YEARS AGO. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN.”
Despite Kyrgios’ fury, it was obviously an honest and rare error, albeit a significant one.
Umpire errors are a serious cause for concern
It is worth immediately saying that Bernardes obviously doesn’t need to be fired for the mistake – indeed he is actually retiring at the end of 2024 anyway.
To raise another point, Kyrgios won’t be playing any ATP events before 2025 meaning the pair will never even have the opportunity to clash again, despite the Australian’s best efforts.
However, basic mistakes like this, especially in regard to what is a very cleverly devised scoring system, simply should not happen at this level.
A terrible umpire gaff at the US Open during a match between Anna Kalinskaya and Beatriz Haddad-Maia saw the official effectively disagree with the video replay.
It simply sets a dangerous precedent of little consequence for crucial errors. Score discrepancies happen all the time – but when players are competing in the park or at a club, not at a ATP Masters event.
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