Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova showed up at Wimbledon 2025 ready to make a serious impact on the grass, which she’s really come to love. She brought that energy into her opening matches, mixing her strong groundstrokes with smart court management. She kept that momentum going into her fourth-round match against Britain’s Sonay Kartal, putting on a solid performance to win it 7–6(3), 6–4.

But her win was kind of overshadowed by a pretty obvious issue with Wimbledon’s new fully automated line-calling system. So, at 4–4 in the first set, Pavlyuchenkova was at game point when Kartal’s backhand clearly went long. But here’s the thing: there wasn’t the usual automated “out” call, so they ended up replaying the point.

The replay gave Kartal a crucial advantage, which really set Pavlyuchenkova off on the court. She shouted, “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.”

So, after the win, she got asked a particular question. As seen on The Tennis Letter’s X, the question read, “If you had lost the match because of that call, which was possible because it gave her a break… how would you be feeling?” Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova responded honestly, saying, “I would just say I hate Wimbledon and never come back. I’d say I hate grass and Wimbledon.”

The Russian tennis star’s honest admission really highlighted the emotional stakes involved—not just her own strength, but also how fragile competition can be when technology steps in at key moments. It wasn’t just frustration; it was a heads-up that if officiating doesn’t improve, even legendary places like Wimbledon could end up losing players’ trust.

Pavlyuchenkova’s rollercoaster ride at Wimbledon 2025—full of early excitement, some tech drama, and her straightforward approach—really highlights her status as one of the most candid veterans on the tour. As she progresses in the tournament, she keeps her focus on performance—doing things her way and following her own rules. But, you know, a lot of people in the tennis world also brought up this controversy.

In support of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova’s situation

Brad Gilbert, who previously coached Coco Gauff, is joining the critics after a key point was lost due to a glitch in Wimbledon’s new electronic line-calling system during Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova’s fourth-round match against Sonay Kartal.

In a similar vein, a lot of fans shared those worries, with one saying, “Total injustice! @Wimbledon- do better! Never saw such a failure! @WTA.” So, what did the Gilbert actually say? “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,” said Gilbert.

Gauff’s former coach is speaking out, and it seems like he’s concerned that in big tournaments, technology should be leveling the playing field instead of causing more problems. His stance really points out a growing worry that Wimbledon’s gamble on fully automated officiating might not have gone as expected. Indeed, it does look like it’s shaking people’s trust in the integrity of those important calls and has gotten everyone talking about the need for some changes.