The tremendous refereeing error that harmed Etcheverry in Basel
Lately, the arbitral decisions in tennis matches are increasing, and the dissatisfaction with their poor accuracy is wearing out players and spectators. This time, Tomás Etcheverry was unfairly disadvantaged in his match against Ben Shelton at the Basel ATP. An American's return in the first set appeared to bounce out just before hitting the Argentine's leg. However, the chair umpire ruled that the ball first rebounded off Etcheverry's body, ultimately awarding the point to Shelton. Despite the Argentine's protests, the referee's decision stood, proving crucial in the score as what could have been a 30-all game turned into a 15-40 with a break point for the American (who eventually won the game).
Big mistake from the umpire that will likely cost this set for Etcheverry 😳
— Tennis Masterr (@tennismasterr) October 22, 2024
The umpire interpreted that Shelton's return hit Etcheverry's leg before bouncing but as you can see from the replay, it's clear that it bounced (outside of the court - OUT) first and only then touched… pic.twitter.com/IxFIw4Fuh8
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El tremendo error arbitral que perjudicó a Etcheverry en Basilea