Wozniacki blames ‘absurd and crazy’ Hawk-eye rulings for defeat

Caroline Wozniacki launched a heartfelt attack on Wimbledon’s technology yesterday. After losing to the Chinese player Zhang Shuai in their third-round match on Court No2, the former world No1 blamed the Hawk-eye line-call system for her defeat.

“Ridiculous”, “absurd” and “crazy” were just some of the adjectives she employed to describe the technology, after she saw two critical calls overruled by radar. Wozniacki had raced to a 4-0 lead in the first set when she challenged a call for a Zhang serve, which she felt was well out. Hawk-eye replays, however, suggested the ball was in. When it happened again two games later, she turned on the match umpire.

“It’s so ridiculous,” she complained. “This is supposed to be a championship match, this is absurd. That one was far out. This one was maybe close. But it’s out. It’s crazy – how am I losing two points on Hawk-eye?”

Her suggestion was that the device had been sited in the wrong place so its angles were wrong, ceding advantage to her opponent. Zhang seemed to be aware of the disparity and kept issuing challenges. The umpire appeared to sympathise with Wozniacki, saying he understood her point but confessed there was little he could do.

“Do you understand how frustrating that is?” she said. Her husband, former basketball player David Lee, joined in the dissent from the players’ box.

“It’s this far out, not even close,” Lee shouted. Wozniacki, now clearly angered, added to the umpire: “How am I supposed to play if I lose the point because these calls aren’t right? How are we playing with Hawk-eye that is this bad? This is not fair.”

The issue over the technology seemed to upset the 14th seed’s concentration. Court No 2 had been the scene of Wozniacki’s departure for the past three Wimbledons and there was no change in her fortune. After her initial surge she won only two more games. After the match, however, the dispirited Dane seemed more philosophical.

“At this point, it doesn’t matter,” Wozniacki said, when asked if she was going to pursue a complaint. “Sometimes you do see the balls a little differently than Hawk-eye. I do not believe it was in the ideal place today. It’s supposed to help the umpires and the players.”