Furious row over rule-change drama
British tennis star Dan Evans was caught in the middle of an umpire row during his second-round win over Jeremy Chardy. The defeated Frenchman accused the umpire of ‘lying’ after a controversial decision at the Aussie Open, which saw Miriam Bley call let after a ball fell out of Chardy’s pocket on a break point – and then reversed her decision.
Evans kept his cool to notch a straight-sets win and called for the rule to be changed when quizzed on the incident after the match. “I think the rule should be if a ball comes out of your pocket, you lose the point. I don’t know why you’re giving people the chance. He missed the ball,” he said. “If you serve, for instance, and the ball comes out of your pocket, why is it a let? I think it’s the worst rule ever. I think the rule needs to change rather than the video. If a ball comes out of your pocket, it’s your own fault.”