Wozniacki Wants Hawk-Eye at Paris

Written by: Staff on 4th June 2012

Wozniacki Wants Hawk-Eye at Paris |

Former world no.1 Caroline Wozniacki added her indignant voice to the growing number of demands for ‘Hawk Eye’ line calling technology to be employed on the clay courts of the French Open.

Since computerized systems have become a fixture at the other three Grand Slam events, the French Tennis Federation have stuck with tradition and insisted umpires can cite marks on the clay when arbitration is required over a contentious line-call.

Wozniacki now thinks otherwise after a call went against her in the gathering evening gloom in her 6-1,6-7,6-3 third round defeat by Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi. “It’s a disgrace mistakes like this are made – it was clearly out,” said the 21 year-old Dane who argued with chair umpire Poncho Ayala at 1-1 in the second set after a ball she believed was long by a considerable margin had not been called out by the linesman.

Certainly she did not attempt to play Kanepi’s groundstroke in the belief that it had floated beyond the baseline. But there was no call from the line judge, and after inspecting the apparent ball mark, Ayala upheld the decision.

Wozniacki raged at Ayala, reportedly saying: “You’d be friggin wrong if we had Hawk Eye. How can you sit there and be so arrogant? Have you gone to school?”

Supervisor Pam Whytcross then intervened by after begrudgingly accepted defeat, Wozniacki demanded a review by the French authorities over officiating.

She said: “When the ball is clearly out, I don’t think there should be anything to argue about. You know, if they cannot see, they should have other umpires on the lines or invent Hawk Eye on these courts,” she said

Topics: Caroline Wozniacki, French Open, Paris