“Power Abuse!” Tainted highest-ranked umpire Soeren Friemel, who defaulted Novak Djokovic at US Open, BANNED from the sport for a year
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Soeren Friemel and Novak Djokovic
Umpires and match officials often go unnoticed or unappreciated in matches despite their hard work and relaying the huge responsibilities that they have on their shoulders. Not Soeren Friemel, who is the world’s top-ranked tennis umpire and has garnered lost of attention over the years.
The German had most famously ousted Serbian star, Novak Djokovic, at the 2020 US Open after he was defaulted for accidentally striking a line judge in the throat with the stray ball while swatting a ball away during the first set of his match against Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta.
Umpire Friemel suspended for 12 months following power abuse
The highest-ranked umpire in tennis Soeren Friemel was on Friday suspended for 12 months following an investigation for alleged power abuse. The German entered voluntary suspension on June 19th of last year when a younger male umpire made serious allegations against his behavior and conduct.
The 50-year-old was noticeably missing from a number of tournaments last year during the lead-up to the Wimbledon, citing personal reasons for his absence.
Though the suspension had been given last December itself after a 5-month long investigation, it was confirmed today after an appeal by the German was unsuccessful. Friemel is a gold-badge supervisor meaning he plays a major role in determining which umpires receive promotions and get allocated to which events.
The spokesperson of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said that the German was suspended on the complaint of making inappropriate remarks and approaches to a certain individual, and the cause for the suspension was ‘power imbalance.’
“The complaint was that Soeren made inappropriate comments and invitations to an individual. The issue was the situation of power imbalance, which led the investigating officer and the panel to find a breach of the code. Soeren remains under suspension and we are reviewing our course of action,” said the spokesperson.
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Akash Mandal
(433 Articles Published)