The French Open scandal that could have changed everything for Alcaraz and Zverev

Why is there no hawkeye at the French Open?

What if?

Carlos Alcaraz triumphed at the French Open, leaving Alexander Zverev empty-handed. The German, however, felt frustrated after a dubious decision by the referee.

A ball wrongly called out

At the start of the fifth set, Alcaraz had just broken and was leading 2-1 on his serve. The Spaniard then conceded two break points: 15-40. The 21-year-old took a risk and served a second ball... which was called out by the linesman, according to Eurosport.

Zverev did not agree

The situation was tense, and the chair umpire went to have a look at the mark and called the ball in, much to the dismay of the German, who thought it was out.

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The ball was out

However, shortly afterwards, thanks to the hawkeye technology, American television revealed that the ball was out.

Picture credit: screenshot NBC News

2-2 instead of 3-1

Alcaraz eventually came back in the game and won it. He went 3-1 up when it should have been 2-2 in the fifth set.

"That's a deciding difference"

"I mean, look, there's a difference whether you're down 3-1 in the fifth set or you're back to two-all," Zverev explained at the post-match press conference, per Eurosport. "That's a deciding difference."

"They're also human"

"It’s frustrating in the end, but it is what it is. Umpires make mistakes. They're also human, and that's okay," the German added. "But of course in a situation like that, you wish there wouldn't be mistakes."

Why is there no hawkeye at the French Open?

Inevitably, this situation calls into question the lack of technology in clay-court tournaments. Next season, 'Electronic Line Calling' will be introduced across the tour, per ATP, including in clay-court tournaments.

Hawkeye is still not entirely reliable

However, the hawkeye technology is not yet 100% reliable. At the Rome tournament, Rafael Nadal was dazzled when the hawkeye indicated that a serve was in, while it was out by several centimetres.

It all comes down to a few millimetres

It just goes to show that tennis can be decided by a few millimetres. If Zverev had come back to 2-2, the match would have been completely different. Let us know what you think in the comments!

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