ATP Toronto: Frances Tiafoe's point made Milos Raonic furious (WATCH)
by LORENZO CIOTTI
A bad moment happened during the most awaited match of the day in the ATP Masters 1000 in Toronto between the home idol Milos Raonic and the US Top-10 Frances Tiafoe. The American tennis player won a strange point with a winning volley (striking before the ball bounced twice in his court - ed.), but touching the net clearly.
Chair umpire Fergus Murphy first awarded the point to the Canadian, immediately rectifying the decision in favor of the American. According to the regulation, the 25-year-old invaded a part of the net that is part of the doubles corridor, which is as if it didn't exist.
Therefore, according to the current rules, it is allowed to touch it even before a double bounce of the ball. A detail certainly unknown to many enthusiasts. Here is the video of what happened in Canada. Milos Raonic at the press conference revealed what the referee said about the episode and protested the decision.
He told: "He quickly changed his choice and the discussion moved on when the ball bounced a second time. Then they said it didn't matter because Frances could touch that part of the net. The rule is clear, but the argument has also been changed many times.
I don't think they were completely honest, they handled it badly regardless of whether it was legal."
El punto de la polémica.
Tiafoe ganó este punto pese a que toca claramente la red ANTES del doble bote.
¿Por qué?
La parte de la red que toca es la correspondiente al dobles, pasando el campo del singles.Por tanto, puede tocarla sin problemas.pic.twitter.com/ciSmxnJTGS — José Morón (@jmgmoron) August 8, 2023
This from the 2023 ATP Rule Book and the rules of tennis
So Tiafoe did indeed run into a part of the net that in this case was not "part of the net" pic.twitter.com/jia8zwLUWl — Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) August 8, 2023
Tiafoe words after the defeat in Washington
After the Washington quarterfinals loss to Evenas, the US explained: "Yes, it's a hard defeat to accept.
It's very difficult for me. Everyone was definitely here to see me play and win. It was hard. I think I'm at that moment in my career where I have to go far, play in the final and win them. He played a great game, but it still hurts.
The first match of the day was really positive. I think I played pretty well. I felt really comfortable during the match. Then, in this evening's match, I was slow and I made many mistakes. But Evans played exceptionally well: he also told me that he only hit free sixes.
There are some things I could have done better. Crowd support? It was amazing, amazing. I have never felt such emotions here, they supported me incredibly. Everyone was screaming, it felt like a Grand Slam tournament. This is one of the tournaments that I want to win one day. I'll try to make up for it next week."