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Close Call Causes Konta Meltdown in Nottingham Final




When tennis tournaments don’t feature Hawk-Eye technology and thus have no challenge system, nerves can get pretty grated, particularly in big matches when there is so much at stake.

More: Barty Wins First Title on Grass | Federer Rolls in Stuttgart, Capturing Title No.98

Case in point: This delicate situation in the third set of Ashleigh Barty’s 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Johanna Konta on Sunday that featured a fair bit of drama at the finish.

The video above shows a disputed game point at 4-4 in the third set that was ruled “in” by a line judge and NOT overruled by umpire Paula Vieira Souza. Konta, defending, felt the ball was long and when she lost the point on the next shot she immediately took Souza to task about the call, complaining that the ball was out and that Barty’s winner should have been overruled.

Unfortunately for the 27-year-old, with no Hawk-Eye in play at the Nature Valley Open, she was unable to challenge and therefore granted no closure.

Konta felt that the shot was long, and that any chalk that flew up after the shot hit the ground was from residual chalk that had gradually spread beyond the lines over the course of the match.

Frustration, naturally, ensued.

“This is a joke,” Konta shouted at Souza. “An absolute joke.”

The British No.1 added: “We are out here literally busting our chops like no other and you are there and you’re making decisions that affect our lives.”

Konta was broken at 15 in the next game to end the match and refused to shake hands with the umpire before heading off court for over five minutes and delaying the trophy ceremony while tournament organizers waited, puzzled.


Konta would later tell media that she left court because she “wanted to speak to a couple of people,” but would not elaborate on who she spoke to or what was said, saying “That’s personal to me.”

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