Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova showed up at Wimbledon 2025 after a solid run on grass. She made it to her first semifinal at the Eastbourne Open in June, really proving her form and confidence on that surface. The 34-year-old navigated her early rounds with confidence, taking down Ajla Tomljanovic in straight sets and then narrowly defeating Ashlyn Krueger 7–6(4), 6–4 to set up a third-round match against Naomi Osaka.

The Russian tennis star’s match against Osaka really stood out: after losing the first set 3–6, she bounced back to take the next two sets 6–4, 6–4, showing off her veteran resilience and impressive rallying skills to make it to the Round of 16.

In the fourth round on Centre Court, Pavlyuchenkova went up against Britain’s rising star, Sonay Kartal. The match had quite the drama when Wimbledon’s first fully-automated line-calling system didn’t catch a clear out ball at 4–4 in the first set.

Pavlyuchenkova had a strong reaction, calling out officials for favoritism after the umpire decided to order a replay. She said, “Because she is local, they can say whatever. You took the game away from me. They stole the game from me. You stole the game from me.”

Even with the setback, she gathered herself to take the opening tiebreak and finished the match 7–6(3), 6–4—marking her second career quarter-final at the All England Club. But the Russian tennis star’s response to the Wimbledon crowd was a pretty cheeky apology. On X, The Tennis Letter shared that Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova mentioned, “Sorry guys. Thank you!”

By serving notice to those who prioritize local sympathies over tennis skills, this moment turned her victory into a powerful statement. This wasn’t just a polite exit—it was a reminder that in elite sports, seasoned pros like her deserve the same recognition and fairness as any up-and-coming local contender. So, there was this controversial decision during the match that really grabbed the attention of a former tennis star.

He stood behind Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova like many others

Brad Gilbert, who used to coach Coco Gauff, is adding his voice to the critics after a crucial point was lost because of a glitch in Wimbledon’s new electronic line-calling system during Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova’s fourth-round match against Sonay Kartal.

Gilbert hopped on X to share his frustration, saying, “I’m shocked they couldn’t just look at Hawkeye with the electronic line call down for one point absolutely cost scrabble that 4all game on a ball that was 4-5 inches long on game point.” Similarly, many fans echoed the same concerns, as one stated, “Total injustice! @Wimbledon- do better! Never saw such a failure! @WTA.”

Gauff’s former coach’s public criticism shows he’s worried that in top tournaments, technology should make things fairer, not stir up more issues. His stance really highlights a rising concern that Wimbledon’s bet on fully automated officiating might not have worked out as planned. It seems to be shaking trust in the integrity of those important calls and has sparked discussions about the need for some changes.