Why tennis won’t rush introduction of ‘VAR’ despite Djokovic criticism

It was frankly somewhat predictable that Jack Draper’s run at the Cincinnati Open would come to an end 24 hours after he became embroiled in a furore that the ATP’s official streaming service Tennis TV described as “the most controversial match point ever!!!”
Distractions are hard to avoid when even the great Novak Djokovic feels compelled to write a long post on social media giving his thoughts on the matter.
Draper had battled so hard throughout the week to reach the quarter-finals of this ATP Masters 1000 tournament by coming through three consecutive three-set matches, two of which were from a set down. Late on Saturday night, however, the British No1 looked a little flat during a 6-4, 6-2 defeat by Holger Rune, the world No16 from Denmark.
It will be hard for Draper to take the positives from what should have been a tournament of encouragement before the US Open, which starts on Monday in New York. Instead he leaves Cincinnati having played a central role in a dispute that has intensified calls for tennis to fully embrace video review technology (VAR).
Serving on match point in the third round against Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime on Friday, Draper approached the net and played a half-volley — a shot hit immediately after the ball bounces — that made contact with the court on his side before it clipped the net cord on its way over. Unable to use the television replays that viewers were seeing at home, the umpire, Greg Allensworth, ruled it in real time to be a fair shot and called the match as a win for Draper.
In some quarters Draper has been unfairly painted a villain. There is the belief that he should have offered to at least repeat the point as players are usually able to tell by the feel of the shot and trajectory of the ball whether it was a foul or not.
More constructively, however, questions are being raised as to the ATP’s hesitance in allowing replays to clear up contentious incidents on the court. Despite the tour-wide adoption of automated electronic line calling (ELC) from next year, there are no provisions in the rulebook for VAR reviews.
“It’s embarrassing that we don’t have video replays of these kind of situations on the court,” Djokovic, the 24-times grand-slam champion from Serbia, wrote on X. “What’s even more ridiculous is that we don’t have the rule in place that would allow chair umpires to change the original call based on the video review that happens off the court.
“Everyone who watches TV sees what happened on the replay, yet the players on the court are kept in the ‘dark’ not knowing what’s the outcome. We have Hawk-Eye for line calls, we live in the technologically advanced 21st century. Please, respective tours, make sure this nonsense never happens again!”
To the relief of Djokovic and his fellow players, there will be no repeat at next week’s US Open as organisers there had the foresight to install VAR alongside the existing ELC system last year. On eight of the main courts at Flushing Meadows, players are allowed to challenge certain judgment calls, such as a double bounce, foul shot, vocal hindrance or racket touch of a ball that is heading out. The umpire then reviews the best footage of the incident on a tablet, sent over by a video review official and video review operator sitting in a backstage room.
Although VAR’s US Open debut last year was unsuccessful when the tablet malfunctioned during Andy Murray’s first-round match, the technology undoubtedly is better for the integrity of the sport when it does work. The four-minute debate between Auger-Aliassime and Allensworth on Friday would have never been so long and fraught had a replay been available on the court.
ATP chiefs do not, however, feel quite ready to implement VAR across the tour. There are considerable costs in making this system available at all tournaments in various locations around the world, and the protocol for a range of variable scenarios is far more complex than the two-outcome nature — in or out — of ELC, which uses 12 cameras to track the ball’s trajectory and determine where it landed within a tenth of a second.
Even ELC is still subject to tweaks before next year’s permanent introduction. During another match in Cincinnati in the week, the system failed to call that a ball had clearly landed out and the point was replayed. Within 48 hours the ATP had updated the protocol to allow the point to rightly be awarded if the ELC official confirms upon review that the shot did not land in the court. US Open organisers insist that occasional hiccups are part and parcel of modern technology.
Contingencies are in place next week should there be any significant issues but overall the ELC system is deemed far more accurate than the human equivalent.
“If the system were to go down, we still could do it the old-fashioned way and have the chair umpire call,” Stacey Allaster, the US Open tournament director, said.
“It’s a technology system. It’s 98 per cent correct. We do know previously when we used line umpires they were at 75 per cent. With any technology there could be a few glitches but we have a lot of confidence in the system.”
Watching developments this month with interest are those who organise Wimbledon. Although the championships do not come under the jurisdiction of the ATP, as a grand slam, it is inevitable that the well-dressed line judges in SW19 will have to make way for ELC in line with the rest of the tour at some point in the next year or two, barring any sudden malfunctions.
Events in recent days involving Draper make a strong case for VAR as well. The last thing Wimbledon chiefs want is for a match at tennis’s hallowed grounds to finish in such a contentious way.
“As you would expect, we are always looking at how technology might further enhance the experience of our players and guests at Wimbledon,” an All England Club spokesperson said.
Aryna Sabalenka is the narrow favourite for the US Open after beating Iga Swiatek for the first time this year to reach the final of the Cincinnati Open.
After losing on clay in the finals of the Madrid Open and Italian Open this year, the world No3 from Belarus finally got the better of her top-ranked Polish rival on a hard court with a 6-3, 6-3 victory in one hour and 47 minutes.
The scoreline makes it look straightforward, but this was far from the case as it took a total of ten match points for Sabalenka to get across the finish line. It is her fourth win over Swiatek in 12 meetings, and the first in which she has triumphed in straight sets.
Sabalenka, 26, will now contest her first Cincinnati final after losing her previous three semi-final appearances. On Monday she plays Jessica Pegula, the world No3 from the United States who beat Spain’s Paula Badosa 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in the second semi-final.
“It sounds like I broke the wall finally,” Sabalenka said of her breakthrough here. “I’m super happy. After such a tough battle against Iga, I’m super happy with the win.
“The end was a tough moment. I was just telling myself that she was world No1 and is going to fight to the very last point. I was trying to remind myself to stay aggressive and keep pushing her.”
Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024, is also now guaranteed to be the No2 seed at the US Open as she will overtake Coco Gauff in the updated world rankings on Tuesday. It means a rematch against Swiatek cannot come before the final at Flushing Meadows.
In the Cincinnati men’s draw, Jannik Sinner has the chance to win his fifth ATP title of the year after coming through a thrilling semi-final. The world No1 from Italy edged out Germany’s Alexander Zverev 7-6 (11-9), 5-7, 7-6 (7-4) in three hours and seven minutes.
Sinner now plays Frances Tiafoe in Monday’s final. The world No20 from the United States saved two match points — one with a winner which clipped the net cord — in his 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) win over Denmark’s Holger Rune.
Dan Evans lost his only US Open warm-up match in the first round of the Winston Salem Open. The 34-year-old Briton, who has dropped to a world ranking of No178 after struggling for wins this year, let slip his one-set lead in a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 defeat by Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic.
Meanwhile, a total of ten British ­singles players will compete in this week’s qualifying event for the US Open, led by Billy Harris in the men’s draw and Lily Miyazaki in the women’s. Three wins are required to reach the tournament proper.