“We are not using the technology we should,” Patrick Mouratoglou sides with introducing VAR in tennis after backlash over Holger Rune’s behavior on court; fans react
Mouratoglou and Rune were left disappointed with the officiating at the 2024 Monte Carlo Masters following the controversial calls.
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Patrick Mouratoglou (Image via IMAGO)
Players like Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune were on the receiving ends of big blunder calls from the chair umpires at the recently concluded 2024 Monte Carlo Masters. The players were left infuriated, and so were their fans. To address this issue, Rune’s current coach Patrick Mouratoglou had some solutions to offer to minimize the errors.
The Frenchman suggested implementing the VAR (Video Assistant Referee), a technology commonly seen in soccer. He posted a video on his Instagram account to justify his claim. Mouratoglou talked about the advantage that VAR will bring with itself and make things easier for both players and officials.
We are not using the technology and we should. Today the players can challenge a call but they cannot review an action on video and this is missing. It is called VAR, it exists in football, and it could exist in tennis. There is absolutely no reason why we shouldn't use VAR.said Patrick Mouratoglou
The French coach was conscious of not pinning the blame directly and entirely on the chair umpires. But with the rising mistakes in the incorrect calls, he felt the sport needs VAR. He further implied that the mental aspect plays a very crucial role and the incorrect calls eventually see the players losing the match at times.
The Monte Carlo Masters concluded on Sunday, 14th April, with Stefanos Tsitsipas claiming his third title at the event. He is now the joint second-most successful men’s singles champion at the tournament. Only Rafael Nadal with his 11 titles is ahead of him.
The tournament served as a reality check for players regarding the challenges ahead in the coming weeks. Additionally, Tour officials faced their own wake-up call due to frustrations caused by the absence of Hawkeye technology and reliance on human calls throughout the week-long event.
Fans remain divided on Patrick Mouratoglou’s opinion
While the suggestion by Mouratoglou would help in reducing the errors, it will certainly extend the duration of the match. With tennis being a sport that has no time limit for a particular match, the officials are always looking to control this factor to help with the scheduling.
The introduction of the shot clock, the time limit on bathroom breaks, and many other latest rule changes are a result of that. But this still doesn’t warrant incorrect calls being made to save time. Nevertheless, the fans remained divided on whether VAR should be brought into tennis or not.
The ATP has kept its silence on the whole debacle that took place in Monte Carlo. With the entire Golden Swing not using the Hawkeye, these incidents are only going to increase, causing more drama. Hopefully, the Tour takes some concrete steps to curb the chaos.
In case you missed it:
- WATCH: Stefanos Tsitsipas gets emotional after clinching his first big title in 24 months in Monte Carlo, moves up to World No. 7 in ATP ranking
- “There’s nothing wrong with all this,” Jannik Sinner dismisses the Holger Rune incident at Monte Carlo as a ‘little bit of chaos’ as he prepares to clinch a title on clay
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)