Andy Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion and former world number one, has strongly criticised the referee's decision in the second men's semi-final of the 1 French Open.
To recap, in the second semifinal, 2020 Olympic gold medalist and world No. 4 Alexander Zverev (4) of Germany faced last year's tournament finalist, world No. 7 Casper Ruud (7) of Norway. The match ended 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 in favor of Zverev.
“The referee’s decisions were absolutely baffling throughout this game,” Roddick said in a post-match interview. “There were a number of key moments where the calls went against Ruud in a very questionable way, and it completely changed the momentum of the game.”
Roddick, known for his outspokenness in his playing days, did not hold back in his assessment of the officiating.
"Look, I know these referees are under a lot of pressure, but some of the decisions they made today were just unacceptable at this level of competition," Roddick said. "Zverev is a great player, no doubt about it, but the referee gave him a lot of advantages that he didn't earn on the court."
The former world number one pointed out that a crucial moment in the third set was a prime example of the referee's poor judgment.
“There was that call at 4-4 in the third set where the ball was clearly out, and the umpire overruled the line judge. That was a huge turning point that ended up costing Ruud the set. You just can’t have that kind of blatant error in a Grand Slam semi-final.
Roddick also criticised the referee's handling of several heated exchanges between players throughout the match.
“The referee let things get out of hand between Zverev and Ruud. There was a lot of back and forth, and the referee should have stepped in and calmed the situation down much sooner. Instead, he let the situation fester, which I think contributed to the lack of a handshake at the end.
The former US Open champion's comments echoed the sentiments of many tennis fans and analysts who felt the officiating had a significant impact on the outcome of the match.
“Andy Roddick is not wrong here,” said former player and current commentator Martina Navratilova. “The umpire made some really questionable calls that seemed to favor Zverev, and that’s just not acceptable at this stage of a major tournament. It’s a shame because it took away from what was otherwise a brilliant display of tennis from both players.”
