Former world number four
Jelena Dokic questioned Czech
Republic’s tennis star
Karolina Muchova for taking a break to change her shirt during the
US Open 2023 quarterfinal.
The fourth and final Grand Slam of the year is moving towards
its conclusion as the remaining players continue to battle to claim the
ultimate glory.
Muchova defeated Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in the last-eight
clash of the mega-event on Tuesday with a score of 6-0, 6-3.
Despite winning the first set, the 27-year-old went off the
court in a prolonged break to change the shirt, something that left Dokic, who
was commentating in the match for Channel 9, confused.
"She went for a change of shirt and usually you don't
do that when you've got the momentum," she said. "Not only the
momentum but she won 6-0."
Muchova's absence on the court clearly left Cirstea frustrated
who expressed her feelings to the chair umpire in a heated exchange of words.
This is not the first time a player opted to take a
break in the ongoing US Open as a few days earlier, Russia’s Daniil Medvedev
went off the court after losing the first set to Australia’s Alex de Minaur.
The 27-year-old’s move was also questioned by former Australian
player and now broadcaster Todd Woodbridge who was critical of the world number
three’s tactics.
"Why do you need to leave the court for that
long?" he said on Channel 9. "It's not a toilet break, is he changing
his full kit? Shouldn't that be at a certain time? I tell you, I think our
sport really has to do something about these change-overs. It's just such a
crutch that everyone seems to go to when they're down, and it's just not part
of the game.
"It shouldn't be there, I implore our rules officials
to get in and stop all this stuff going on, because it's just momentum changes
in matches that we shouldn't have. Let's keep the game moving. It's not great
for us as broadcasters, and I think it's really gamesmanship and it needs to be
taken out. It’s such an annoying part of our game. You’re not supposed to be
doing this. And the umpire is letting him get away with it.”