If asked to name an athlete whose impact led to a massive change in their sport’s rule, whose name would come to your mind first? Today we’re going to recall two such incidents surrounding the two superstars of tennis that revolutionized the racket sport forever. Both Roger Federer and Serena Williams have achieved enormous success throughout their illustrious career, but did you know how influential they were off the court?

Roger Federer once forced a complete ban on the carpet tennis. On the other hand, a raging Serena Williams once led the tennis authorities to think about introducing some advanced line technology into the game. Let’s take a look back at those incidents from the past.

Did you know tennis was once played across four surfaces?

Yes, you heard that right. Besides, clay, grass, and hard courts, once upon a time tennis was also played on carpets. A carpet court is much like the kind of carpets that one might have in their home. Carpets could be removed at the end of the day of the tournaments. Hence, the venue can be used for multiple purposes.

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Paris Masters was one of the biggest tennis tournaments to be played on the carpet between 1968 and 2006. However, it had several disadvantages, including players’ susceptibility to injuries. There were risks of suffering from knee strains. Roger Federer was one of the most prominent names in the game who stood against carpet tennis. He didn’t take part in Paris Masters from 2003-2006 and had cited carpets being the main reason for his withdrawal. Federer said, ‘Carpet sucks.‘

Roger Federer’s absence forced the tournament organizers to figure out a way for the tennis star to bring him back to the Paris Masters. Jean Francois Caujolle, who was the Paris Masters tournament director then had stated, “It turned out that he didn’t like the [carpet] surface we had then at all and advised us to contact an Austrian company which designed a type of resin similar to that of Vienna.”

He further added, “We did and fulfilled his wishes. We got in contact with the company and changed the surface.” Federer had featured in 6 finals on the carpet tournaments and won 2 out of them. The surface was fully banned in 2009.

Then there’s the queen of the court, whose bad experience with line calls prompted a change in the sport that’s still working wonders in tennis today.

Serena Williams getting the worst line call in the history of the sport

During the QF match in the 2004 US Open, Serena Williams was the victim of several incorrect calls during the match. Some were called by the line judges and others by the chair umpire, Mariana Alves. Alves even made an incorrect over-rule during the match which is now also called one of the biggest blunders in the history of the game. She didn’t officiate for the rest of the tournament.

But Serena Williams lost that match to Jennifer Capriati by 6-2,4-6,4-6. The American tennis star, later on said that it was impossible for her to play because the officials kept calling the ball out. She added, “I did. I thought she had got the score wrong. I was going to call the referee. But she claimed that you know – I guess she went temporarily insane.”

When asked to reflect on what was going through her mind at that moment. Williams joked that she was very angry and bitter. She added that felt cheated and robbed too.

However, this incident sparked a major debate about the introduction of some kind of instant replay or advanced line technology. Hawk-eye was then introduced in 2006 across almost 10 events including the US Open.

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