Sumit Nagal slams umpiring at ATP Challenger event, urges ATP, ITF to use technology more effectively

New Delhi, June 16 (IANS) India’s top-ranked singles player Sumit Nagal has lashed out at the refereeing standard in tennis after a controversial umpiring call during his opening-round match at the Poznan Challenger.

Taking to social media on Tuesday, Nagal highlighted what he called a “massive flaw in our sport,” after the chair umpire reportedly made error in a single point and refused to inspect a ball mark on the clay court.

“I was playing a point, where I ran towards the ball, which was clearly out. There was a linesman and a chair umpire refereeing the match. The call never came from either of them. So I raised my hand immediately… but the umpire claims she didn’t see it, which can happen, but then she refused to come down and even check the mark,” Nagal wrote.

The 28-year-old Indian argued that under ATP regulations, a player is permitted to strike the ball once after it bounces and still challenge the call, provided it does not affect the play. Nagal said that his immediate appeal fell within these guidelines.

“I got 3 wrong calls in a single point, where no call came, the referee refused to come down to check, and the referee didn’t see me appeal to it. Today I felt so hopeless and broken-hearted because I couldn’t even defend myself. It was emotionally tough for me to get past that point afterwards,” he expressed.

Nagal also questioned accountability in tennis officiating, pointing out that while players face heavy financial penalties for mistakes on court, umpires do not.

“Players get penalised for mistakes that happen knowingly or unknowingly… But why do we players get penalised with money when we make mistakes, and not chair umpires? Players have the added pressure of needing to win to make money. Umpires have comparatively less pressure because they don’t need to win to get paid,” Nagal argued.

Urging the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to implement systematic changes, the Indian ace called for more technology in Challenger matches to rely less on human umpires.

“I humbly request ATP/ITF to make a change that would enable us players to defend ourselves as well. I believe matches should not be dependent on merely referees in 2026 when you can leverage technology,” Nagal concluded.

–IANS

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