Controversy from a rare touching situation at the Rogers Cup
When the score was 13-12 in favor of Tiafoe in the tie-break set of a match this morning, 8/8 Hanoi time, Raonic attacked to bring the ball back into the net and bounce briefly to the US opponent's field. Tiafoe lunged back in response, shoving the ball out of Raonic's reach and scoring the winner. Referee Fergus Murphy initially determined Tiafoe hit the net, but then he changed it, scoring Tiafoe.
The decision surprised Raonic. The home player came forward and said that Tiafoe touched the net when the ball had not touched the ground twice, meaning the situation was not over. Tiafoe was trying to explain that the ball hit the ground twice when he hit the net.
By law, Tiafoe will lose points if he touches the net before the ball is over. But the referee still gave him a set-point win for another reason. The part of the net that Tiafoe touches is outside the rope, identified as the part between the net holding post and the net post (the part with the sponsor sign in the photo). If they touch this part of the net, players will only lose points in doubles matches. In singles matches, the player is not counted as touching the net and the ball situation will continue.
Both Tiafoe and Raonic were surprised by Mr. Murphy's explanation, even though the duo had been playing professionally for many years. Raonic was even a Grand Slam finalist and a former world number three. "What is that? Does any part count as a net?", the 33-year-old tennis player told the referee. "No, just the part between these two nets," replied Mr. Murphy.
Not satisfied with Mr. Murphy's decision, the Canadian tennis player asked to call the referee supervision. After receiving the same explanation, Raonic accepted, furiously smashing his racket as he headed for the rest of the chair.
The situation in the set-point in the first set of the Tiafoe - Raonic match has never happened on the ATP Tour before. Referee Fergus Murphy handled decisively and accurately when scoring Tiafoe. He is one of the most prestigious referees on the ATP Tour, despite being criticized by many players. Mr Murphy was also the catcher of the Wimbledon final between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz last month.
Raonic lost 12-14 in the tie-break of the first set, but won two sets after 7-6, 6-3 to win tickets to the second round. There, he will face his Japanese opponent, Taro Daniel.
