"So at Acapulco, Casper Ruud should kick a ballboy in the shins": Mark Petchey seeing Rublev publicity as positive draws angry reactions
ATPSunday, 03 March 2024 at 09:28
Tennis commentator Mark Petchey has drew the ire of some tennis fans who have reacted angrily after he remarked that the Andrey Rublev line judge drama brought attention to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships that wouldn't have been there.
Rublev was trailing 6-5 in the third set against Alexander Bublik when he decided to scream in the face of a line judge in Russian which was then reported and he was swiftly defaulted by umpire, Miriam Bley. Players have rallied behind Rublev and called the situation a farce, but Petchey sees it from a commercial angle.
"For all those that want all electronic line calling just remember that undiluted passion and drama writes headlines. There are news channels all over the world talking about Dubai that wouldn’t be today, if we had all electronic line calling. Nobody died also," Petchey wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
But those in his replies didn't take the same tact, one wrote. "Okay cool. So at Acapulco, Casper Ruud should kick a ballboy in the shins to get some publicity for this underreported sport. As long as the ballboy doesn't die. Am I doing this right?"
"No I don't agree with this. Tennis shouldn't want to gain publicity from such negative headlines. There are more than enough interesting stories that can gain interest."
"All for publicity. It's best if they play completely naked. In the mud, with music. The newspapers would explode," another wrote. "Oh so maybe tennis events should generate fights between players and more drama just for attention to?" said a further remark. Safe to say that Petchey's viewpoint didn't go down too well.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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