Emma Navarro calls for VAR type rule change to be implemented after double bounce Swiatek controversy at Australian Open

Wednesday, 22 January 2025 at 10:12

Emma Navarro has called for change amid the double bounce controversy during the night at the Australian Open which saw the American despite losing pretty easily to Iga Swiatek not reflecting on the match and more so a specific moment.

At 2-2, Navarro believed she won the point after it bounced twice on Swiatek's side of the net during a rally. However, this wasn't spotted by the umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore and Navarro wasn't allowed to request a replay which in this case would've proven her right.

It also happened ironically shortly after in Ben Shelton's match with Lorenzo Sonego but the American handed the point to the Italian. A rule sees players only allowed to challenge if they stop playing right away instead of after where the referee would then look at it and make a call like in football or soccer depending on where you're from. A rule that Navarro wants to see in tennis.

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“It should be allowed to see after the point even if you play,” she told reporters after the match. "It happened so fast. You hit the shot, and she hits it back, and you’re just, ‘Oh, I guess I’m playing’.

“In the back of your head you’re, like, ‘Okay, maybe I can still win the point even though it wasn’t called. It’s going to be a downer if I stop the point and it turns out it wasn’t a double bounce. It’s tough. We should be able to see it afterwards and make that call.”

Swiatek on the otherhand refused to get controversial on the topic and said that it is the referees job to make the rules as she spoke diplomatically.

“They already had a lot of time to think it through. So if there would be some better option, I think tennis would use it,” she said.

“We already had some tense situations in other matches and also ATP last year. The referees think about it. It’s their job to make the proper rules.”

Full replay of the double bounce 😶

Feel sorry for Emma Navarro here... pic.twitter.com/7V9bAAkBh0
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) January 22, 2025

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.

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