WTA Bad Homburg: Frustrated Maria Sakkari Accuses Chair Umpire of German Bias; Gets Viciously Booed by the Crowd

Point controversy led to an altercation and an upset crowd in the stands. This sums up Maria Sakkari’s experience at the recent WTA championship. Bad Homburg begins after a successful conclusion of the Berlin Open, and Sakkari is anything but satisfied after suffering a recent setback against the German Jule Niemeier. It was a disappointment-filled start on Grass Court for Maria Sakkari en route to Wimbledon.

During her match against the German national, the Greek tennis star got into a furious altercation with the chair umpire to sort out a misunderstanding. With a smooth start to the match, Sakkari was on the right track as she dominated her opponent in the first set. However, the German didn’t give in as she took 2nd set off the Greek. And in the decider, it all went downhill.

Sakkari was down 2-1 in the third set, however, she was about to equal the score in the 4th game of the set as she led the charge with 40-15. This is where the tables turned upside down, as Niemeir challenged the umpire’s decision of calling the point out in World No.9’s favor. When the review outcome came, the point was indeed in, leading the German to gain another. However, Sakkari went to the chair umpire to explain that the German’s return was out and she had just brushed the ball aside. It wasn’t a return. The umpire tried to explain that he saw the shot as it sliced over to her opponent’s court. Hence a valid point for the German.

This further frustrated Sakkari, as she accused the umpire of favoring the Germans since the beginning of the tournament. The crowd certainly didn’t appreciate her accusations as they booed the Greek amidst the controversy. However, this is not a one off incident of player-umpire confrontation.

Coco Gauff was recently involved in a similar incident, at the French Open semifinal against Iga Swiatek. However, her appeal held little weight as the umpire overruled the line call against the Pole. Gauff’s incident reminded fans of several similar controversies that the 23-time Grand Slam champion, Serena Williams, was a part of. Such a confrontation with the umpire in a packed stadium reminds one of Sakkari’s confession about an athlete’s life. 

Maria Sakkari’s heart-breaking confession about being exposed to million

Not every day is a good day for anyone. But when some are public figures, like a sports person, their every move attracts reactions from around the world. However, no matter what the circumstances are, players show up every day. And despite living a real life on the court, athletes control their state of mind to be in a Zen mode, like in reel, as their reaction is no longer personal.

Sakkari said of this, “And you’re like acting or playing or performing in front of millions of people. So if you have a bad day, then you’re exposed to, you know, X amount of people.” X amount would usually mean millions, if not billions, in the age of technology. Iga Swiatek also shared a similar thought process, how despite being on a winning streak, expectation affected her to some extent.

With thin line between discussion and controversy, it’s difficult to determine which one is suited. However, at the end of the day its umpire’s call to make!