‘Stole the game': Wimbledon storm erupts as match marred by controversy
For the first time ever, the All England Club does not have linesmen or women in 2025, with calls instead made by an automated line-calling system.
The move has been heavily criticised and its introduction has now caused major controversy after Pavlyuchenkova had a point taken off her due to the ball not being properly tracked.
Serving for the game at 4-4 in the opening set of her round of 16 match against Sonay Kartal, the 34-year-old stopped after Kartal hit a ball clearly long.
However, the ball wasn't called out. After several seconds, an automated voice was heard saying 'stop, stop'.
Chair umpire Nico Helwerth quickly called for help from tournament organisers and eventually ruled that due to Hawk-Eye technology not correctly tracking the ball, the point had to be replayed, despite replays showing it was several centimetres out.
You can watch the controversial moment in the player at the top of the page.
It proved a game-changing ruling with Pavlyuchenkova then going on to have her serve broken.
The Russian was understandably irate at the changeover and accused organisers of favouring her British opponent.
'Because she is local, they can say whatever. You took the game away from me,' she told the chair umpire.
'They stole the game from me. You stole the game from me'.
In the end, Pavlyuchenkova regrouped to win the match 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, booking a place in the quarter-final.
However, the disgruntled tennis star didn't let it go post-match teeing off on tournament officials.
'I just thought the chair umpire could take the initiative. That's why he's there sitting on the chair. He also saw it out, he told me after the match. I thought he would do that, but he didn't,' Pavlyuchenkova said.
'I think it's also difficult for him. He probably was scared to make such a big decision. But I think they should. That's what they're there for, sitting on the chair.
'Otherwise, I think, soon, let's just play without them. Right? Then we're gonna have everything automatic.
'I think we're losing a little bit of this charm of actually having human being ball boys. Like, during Covid, we didn't have ball boys. It becomes a bit weird and robot sort of oriented.
'They're very good at giving fines though and code violations. This, they don't miss. Every time, any little thing, they're just right there on it. I'd prefer they looked at the lines and called the errors, mistakes better.'
Asked what she would have said if the point had ultimately cost her the match, the Russian quipped: 'I would just say that I hate Wimbledon and never come back here!'
Tournament officials were quick to apologise after the match.
'We have apologised to the players involved,' a statement from the All England club read.
'We continue to have full confidence in the accuracy of the ball tracking technology.
'In this instance, there was a human error and as a consequence, we have fully reviewed our processes and made the appropriate changes.'
However, it is far from the only incident at Wimbledon and fans have called for change.
'The new line call tech at Wimbledon was always likely to raise some eyebrows, but having Pavlyuchenkova replay that game-winning point against Kartal is disgraceful,' one aggrieved fan wrote on X.
'Umpire not allowed to make a call when the tech has very clearly failed?! Pavlyuchenkova's game stolen.'
'Anastasia Pavyluchenkova is absolutely right in telling the chair umpire that. That is embarrassing for tennis. It's embarrassing for Wimbledon, the ball was clearly out and the tech failed,' another wrote.
While a third added: 'Absolute shambles with the technology. That was miles out'
Several players have also voiced that they feel they have also been wronged by the new line-technology.
British star Emma Raducanu said she didn't trust it, while Jack Draper said he felt it wasn't 100 per cent accurate.
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Injury rescues world No.1 from early Wimbledon exit
Two sets down and nursing an elbow injury, Jannik Sinner's Wimbledon looked done when the roof was closed on Centre Court. Grigor Dimitrov was playing sublime tennis on Monday and the world No.1's five-set record would not have encouraged him, Sinner having lost six, won one. Two games later Dimitrov, having just served an ace to tie up the third set 2-2, slumped to the ground holding the pectoral muscle on the right, serving side of his chest. It looked bad, and it was. Sinner helped his stricken opponent to his feet, the medics attended to the Bulgarian, he briefly stepped off court, then returned and conceded. The 34-year-old was in so much discomfort he had to use his left arm to support his right arm when he shook hands with the chair umpire, grimacing as he did so. This was the fifth grand slam in succession in which Dimitrov has been forced to quit through injury, and he was distraught. And Sinner did not seem like a man who enjoyed his reprieve. "I don't take this as a win at all, this is just an unfortunate moment for us to witness," said the top seed after advancing with the scores 3-6 5-7 2-2. "He has struggled in grand slams with injuries a lot, so seeing him again with this injury is very tough. "He has been so unlucky in the past couple of years. He is an incredible player who is a good friend of mine. We understand each other very well off the court. "Seeing him in this position, if there was a chance for him to be in the next round he would deserve it. "This is not the end we wanted to see and it's very sad." Sinner, nevertheless, is into the last eight and a meeting with Ben Shelton, who had seen off another Italian, Lorenzo Sonego, 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-1) 7-5 earlier on Monday. Sinner will hope his elbow complaint, which happened when he braced a fall with his right hand while still holding his racquet, is not serious because Shelton has looked in powerful form. By reaching the last eight, the American beat his watching father's best at Wimbledon, Bryan Shelton having been stopped in the fourth round in 1994. "He was a serve-and-volleyer. Big serve. Came forward all the time. He would like to see me coming forward a little bit more than I am. My argument is I think I'm better than him from the baseline," Shelton said. In the other quarter-final in this section of the draw, Novak Djokovic, who beat Australia's Alex de Minaur in four sets after losing the first 6-1, will meet Flavio Cobolli. The Italian defeated Marin Ciic 6-4 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3) on No.2 court. Cobolli, who like Shelton is coached by his father, said: "I'm real emotional because this is the day that I never forget." Talking of Cilic, a former US Open winner and Wimbledon finalist, Cobolli added: "Everyone on my family, on my team, always told me that I live for this kind of match. "I think is true because I really love to play against a big player, against a legend of our sport. I like to play on this kind of stage, this kind of tournament." Next up is Djokovic on a show court. They don't come much bigger than that. Two sets down and nursing an elbow injury, Jannik Sinner's Wimbledon looked done when the roof was closed on Centre Court. Grigor Dimitrov was playing sublime tennis on Monday and the world No.1's five-set record would not have encouraged him, Sinner having lost six, won one. Two games later Dimitrov, having just served an ace to tie up the third set 2-2, slumped to the ground holding the pectoral muscle on the right, serving side of his chest. It looked bad, and it was. Sinner helped his stricken opponent to his feet, the medics attended to the Bulgarian, he briefly stepped off court, then returned and conceded. The 34-year-old was in so much discomfort he had to use his left arm to support his right arm when he shook hands with the chair umpire, grimacing as he did so. This was the fifth grand slam in succession in which Dimitrov has been forced to quit through injury, and he was distraught. And Sinner did not seem like a man who enjoyed his reprieve. "I don't take this as a win at all, this is just an unfortunate moment for us to witness," said the top seed after advancing with the scores 3-6 5-7 2-2. "He has struggled in grand slams with injuries a lot, so seeing him again with this injury is very tough. "He has been so unlucky in the past couple of years. He is an incredible player who is a good friend of mine. We understand each other very well off the court. "Seeing him in this position, if there was a chance for him to be in the next round he would deserve it. "This is not the end we wanted to see and it's very sad." Sinner, nevertheless, is into the last eight and a meeting with Ben Shelton, who had seen off another Italian, Lorenzo Sonego, 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-1) 7-5 earlier on Monday. Sinner will hope his elbow complaint, which happened when he braced a fall with his right hand while still holding his racquet, is not serious because Shelton has looked in powerful form. By reaching the last eight, the American beat his watching father's best at Wimbledon, Bryan Shelton having been stopped in the fourth round in 1994. "He was a serve-and-volleyer. Big serve. Came forward all the time. He would like to see me coming forward a little bit more than I am. My argument is I think I'm better than him from the baseline," Shelton said. In the other quarter-final in this section of the draw, Novak Djokovic, who beat Australia's Alex de Minaur in four sets after losing the first 6-1, will meet Flavio Cobolli. The Italian defeated Marin Ciic 6-4 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3) on No.2 court. Cobolli, who like Shelton is coached by his father, said: "I'm real emotional because this is the day that I never forget." Talking of Cilic, a former US Open winner and Wimbledon finalist, Cobolli added: "Everyone on my family, on my team, always told me that I live for this kind of match. "I think is true because I really love to play against a big player, against a legend of our sport. I like to play on this kind of stage, this kind of tournament." Next up is Djokovic on a show court. They don't come much bigger than that. Two sets down and nursing an elbow injury, Jannik Sinner's Wimbledon looked done when the roof was closed on Centre Court. Grigor Dimitrov was playing sublime tennis on Monday and the world No.1's five-set record would not have encouraged him, Sinner having lost six, won one. Two games later Dimitrov, having just served an ace to tie up the third set 2-2, slumped to the ground holding the pectoral muscle on the right, serving side of his chest. It looked bad, and it was. Sinner helped his stricken opponent to his feet, the medics attended to the Bulgarian, he briefly stepped off court, then returned and conceded. The 34-year-old was in so much discomfort he had to use his left arm to support his right arm when he shook hands with the chair umpire, grimacing as he did so. This was the fifth grand slam in succession in which Dimitrov has been forced to quit through injury, and he was distraught. And Sinner did not seem like a man who enjoyed his reprieve. "I don't take this as a win at all, this is just an unfortunate moment for us to witness," said the top seed after advancing with the scores 3-6 5-7 2-2. "He has struggled in grand slams with injuries a lot, so seeing him again with this injury is very tough. "He has been so unlucky in the past couple of years. He is an incredible player who is a good friend of mine. We understand each other very well off the court. "Seeing him in this position, if there was a chance for him to be in the next round he would deserve it. "This is not the end we wanted to see and it's very sad." Sinner, nevertheless, is into the last eight and a meeting with Ben Shelton, who had seen off another Italian, Lorenzo Sonego, 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-1) 7-5 earlier on Monday. Sinner will hope his elbow complaint, which happened when he braced a fall with his right hand while still holding his racquet, is not serious because Shelton has looked in powerful form. By reaching the last eight, the American beat his watching father's best at Wimbledon, Bryan Shelton having been stopped in the fourth round in 1994. "He was a serve-and-volleyer. Big serve. Came forward all the time. He would like to see me coming forward a little bit more than I am. My argument is I think I'm better than him from the baseline," Shelton said. In the other quarter-final in this section of the draw, Novak Djokovic, who beat Australia's Alex de Minaur in four sets after losing the first 6-1, will meet Flavio Cobolli. The Italian defeated Marin Ciic 6-4 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3) on No.2 court. Cobolli, who like Shelton is coached by his father, said: "I'm real emotional because this is the day that I never forget." Talking of Cilic, a former US Open winner and Wimbledon finalist, Cobolli added: "Everyone on my family, on my team, always told me that I live for this kind of match. "I think is true because I really love to play against a big player, against a legend of our sport. I like to play on this kind of stage, this kind of tournament." Next up is Djokovic on a show court. They don't come much bigger than that. Two sets down and nursing an elbow injury, Jannik Sinner's Wimbledon looked done when the roof was closed on Centre Court. Grigor Dimitrov was playing sublime tennis on Monday and the world No.1's five-set record would not have encouraged him, Sinner having lost six, won one. Two games later Dimitrov, having just served an ace to tie up the third set 2-2, slumped to the ground holding the pectoral muscle on the right, serving side of his chest. It looked bad, and it was. Sinner helped his stricken opponent to his feet, the medics attended to the Bulgarian, he briefly stepped off court, then returned and conceded. The 34-year-old was in so much discomfort he had to use his left arm to support his right arm when he shook hands with the chair umpire, grimacing as he did so. This was the fifth grand slam in succession in which Dimitrov has been forced to quit through injury, and he was distraught. And Sinner did not seem like a man who enjoyed his reprieve. "I don't take this as a win at all, this is just an unfortunate moment for us to witness," said the top seed after advancing with the scores 3-6 5-7 2-2. "He has struggled in grand slams with injuries a lot, so seeing him again with this injury is very tough. "He has been so unlucky in the past couple of years. He is an incredible player who is a good friend of mine. We understand each other very well off the court. "Seeing him in this position, if there was a chance for him to be in the next round he would deserve it. "This is not the end we wanted to see and it's very sad." Sinner, nevertheless, is into the last eight and a meeting with Ben Shelton, who had seen off another Italian, Lorenzo Sonego, 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-1) 7-5 earlier on Monday. Sinner will hope his elbow complaint, which happened when he braced a fall with his right hand while still holding his racquet, is not serious because Shelton has looked in powerful form. By reaching the last eight, the American beat his watching father's best at Wimbledon, Bryan Shelton having been stopped in the fourth round in 1994. "He was a serve-and-volleyer. Big serve. Came forward all the time. He would like to see me coming forward a little bit more than I am. My argument is I think I'm better than him from the baseline," Shelton said. In the other quarter-final in this section of the draw, Novak Djokovic, who beat Australia's Alex de Minaur in four sets after losing the first 6-1, will meet Flavio Cobolli. The Italian defeated Marin Ciic 6-4 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3) on No.2 court. Cobolli, who like Shelton is coached by his father, said: "I'm real emotional because this is the day that I never forget." Talking of Cilic, a former US Open winner and Wimbledon finalist, Cobolli added: "Everyone on my family, on my team, always told me that I live for this kind of match. "I think is true because I really love to play against a big player, against a legend of our sport. I like to play on this kind of stage, this kind of tournament." Next up is Djokovic on a show court. They don't come much bigger than that.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
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After being 4-1 up in fourth set, Alex de Minaur wilts against Novak Djokovic to exit Wimbledon
Alex de Minaur lamented his inability to 'lift in the big moments' as he once again stumbled in the face of a top-10 combatant at Wimbledon, losing to Novak Djokovic and conceding he can't take the 'next step' until he finds his best when it matters most. The Australian No.1 took the first set in a canter against the eight-time champion, was steamrolled in the next two, but then had a break point to go 5-1 up and be one service game away from taking his 38-year-old opponent into a fifth set. While Djokovic 'lifted his level big time' with Roger Federer looking on from the centre court stands, de Minaur instead went the other way, losing five of the next eight games to fall in four sets and walk away knowing exactly where he let himself down with another grand slam moment not taken. 'He started going after it a little bit more and raised his level, which completely changed the momentum,' de Minaur said of Djokovic, who won 1-6 6-4 6-4 6-4. 'I'm frustrated I let that set slip away, but he's been pretty good in big moments for a very long time. 'In the bigger moments today I think my level dipped, and I didn't rise to the occasion as I needed to if I wanted to beat someone as good as him. 'There's positives (from the match) but where I am in my career I want more. I want to be on the other side of this match coming out on top because that's the next step in my career. 'If I'm going to make the next step, these are the types of matches that need to start going my way.' Even Djokovic conceded he had to 'hang tough' and wasn't happy with his display in front of Federer. Aged 38, he remains a chance to become the oldest grand slam singles champion in the Open era. 'It wasn't a great start for me, it was a great start for Alex de Minaur obviously. I kind of reset myself in the second set,' Djokovic said. 'I was very pleased to hang in tough in the right moments and win this one. 'It's probably the first time (Roger is) watching me and I've won the match. The last couple I lost, so good to break the curse.' Getting into a fifth set could have opened doors for de Minaur and it was hard to take any positives knowing he could have taken down one of the greatest of all time. 'The right thing to do, to tell myself, 'Hey, I was close, I probably should have been into a fifth set, and who knows what happens in that fifth set against Novak at Wimbledon and one of his best grand slams'. I should be telling myself that,' he said. 'But right now … I won't see that side of things. It's still too early. It's a little bit more about, 'Yes, I lost to Novak, but I lost in the fourth round when I was hoping for more this week'.' It was also obvious to the Australian No.1 what he needs to improve on ahead of the US Open. 'I'm always going to put a lot of the pressure on my opponent, and I did that today,' he said. 'What I need to improve on is the serve. When (Djokovic) needed it, he really raised his serving. It felt like he was breezing through games. 'The serve needs to get me out of trouble, needs to help me in big moments, needs to step up if I want to win these matches.'
News.com.au
2 hours ago
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Novak Djokovic's X-rated outburst leaves Wimbledon crowd in stunned silence
Novak Djokovic launched a foul-mouthed blast as he struggled with conditions on Centre Court against Alex de Minaur late on Monday night (AEST). The Serb was not at the races as Katie Boulter's fiance easily took the first set 6-1 – the first time Djokovic has ever lost an opening Wimbledon set by that margin. Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. Djokovic then took an attritional second set 6-4 to level the match, while still appearing to struggle with the wind. And frustrations boiled over in the third when the seven-time champion placed an easy-looking return well out of play. He then launched an X-rated rant at the top of his voice in his native Serbian. The Serb was accused by fans of saying: 'F*** you, f*** you, what a f***ing spin', according to The Sun. You can watch the incident in the player above There were audible gasps from the crowd before hushed silence set in with fans on Centre Court – despite probably not being able to understand what he said – being surprised at the sheer volume of his outburst. One Djokovic fan took to X to say: 'Hahahahahaha I am not feeling well..' While a detractor posted: 'This is why Djokovic isn't nearly as respected as his peers …' If the umpire had understood what Djokovic had said, he would have picked up a code violation and been warned for the misdemeanour. In the event of a second code violation, players are forced to forfeit a point, followed by a game for a third and finally, the match for a fourth. In a tongue-in-cheek interview in 2023, Djokovic told Eurosport that he was trying to work out new ways of swearing in his own language to avoid falling foul of umpires. He said: 'The problem we have, because of the success of Croatian and Serbian players in the last 30 years or so, we unfortunately have a situation where most of the umpires understand the swearing words. 'So we have to play around a little bit, we have to use the slang, create new words, but when you're p***ed off you don't think about creating.' Despite his early troubles, Djokovic saw off his Australian rival 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
