'That's really unfair' - Aryna Sabalenka points out importance of video review system after Cincinnati controversy

Aryna Sabalenka lost to Coco Gauff in the final of last year’s US Open.

During a recent press conference at the US Open 2024, Aryna Sabalenka talked about the importance of a video review system in making tennis fair.

At the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Masters, the video review system was one of the most heated topics. During the first-round match between Taylor Fritz and Brandon Nakashima, the two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist wasn’t given an outcall by the chair umpire.

Later, during the round of 16 fixture between Felix Augur Aliassime and Jack Draper, the British tennis star was awarded a controversial match point. The point also garnered criticism from Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic. Similar scenes were witnessed during the Canadian Open too.

Talking about the controversial decisions, Sabalenka stated that not using the line system has been unfair to multiple players. She said, “I mean, I think that’s really important that we have this system here, because I saw those tough calls. I think that’s really unfair for some of the players, you know, like, not to be able to review the referee calls.”

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She further added, “And also, for the referees, you kind of can understand, like, tennis improved a lot, and it’s faster, it’s not that easy to be on the chair, be a chair umpire. So, I think that’s going to be helpful for everybody and healthy for everyone to have these reviews. So, I think that’s really a cool thing to have.”

After a challenging season full of injury concerns and setbacks, Aryna Sabalenka recorded a memorable triumph in Cincinnati. She won the title of the Cincinnati Masters without dropping a single set, and it also included resounding victories over Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula.

After the win, she also talked about equal pay for male and female players in tennis. Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner won the singles titles at the 2024 Cincinnati Open. The Italian tennis star won $1,049,460, while Sabalenka got a winning prize of $524,730. Multiple tennis tournaments, especially the Wimbledon Championships, offer equal prize money to the men’s and women’s winners.

Last year’s runner-up, Aryna Sabalenka, will commence her campaign at Flushing Meadows against qualifier Priscilla Hon of Australia.

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