But retired tennis legend Boris Becker has taken aim at another “ridiculous” rule, one that has long existed in the sport. The six-time Grand Slam champion believes there should be no lets on serve.
In the middle of a rally, if a ball clips the net tape and just dribbles over either side of the net, it counts as a valid shot. However, when a player is serving, if their serve clips the tape, it counts as a let, and they get to re-do the serve.
And Becker wants to see that scrapped everywhere. “It’s a ridiculous rule. In a normal tennis rally, play continues, even if the ball touches the net,” the German tennis star told Eurosport.
“I am therefore a strong advocate of play continuing after a net serve. It does have something to do with luck and misfortune, but that’s how it is sometimes in sport and in life.”
That’s not the only protocol Becker took issue with. In a tournament full of shocks, world No. 1 Jannik Sinner suffered the biggest upset of the tournament so far when he blew a two-set and 5-1 lead over Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round, losing in five.
While serving for the match at 5-4 0-40 in the third set, Sinner started struggling physically and sat on the advertising signs on the side of the court. The umpire came down to see what was happening, and the trainer came to the court.
The Italian said he felt like he was going to be sick, and left the court mid-game for an evaluation with the physio, but did not take a medical timeout. He returned, going on to win just two more games as Cerundolo claimed a 3-6 2-6 7-5 6-1 6-1 victory. Sinner also appeared to be cramping at moments during the match.
Mensik also started cramping during the final-set tiebreak in his second-round clash with Mariano Navone. Players cannot receive medical timeouts for cramp – only a massage during limited changeovers – and the Czech star collapsed on court after winning.
And Becker doesn’t understand why there are no medical timeouts for those who are cramping, especially because players could effectively lie and say they feel an issue in their body to get treatment.
“The rules aren’t clearly defined in that regard,” the 58-year-old added. “A player can take a break if they feel a slight strain in their thigh, but not if they have a cramp. Of course, a player will never admit to having a cramp.”