India tennis star Sumit Nagal said that ATP and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) should consider using technology for decisions and not solely depend on umpires. Sumit faced a lower-ranked 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗸 in the Round of 32 in the Poznan Open; however, he retired from the match when the opponent led 6-4, 5-4. The match saw a big controversy after Brunclik’s shot fell outside the line, but the umpire refused to give the point to Nagal despite the Indian pointing it out. Nagal didn’t play after the point and retired from the match.
The tennis star took to X and lashed out at the poor umpiring call. “Dear all, I am speaking on something that happened yesterday in Poznan, which highlights a massive flaw in our sport.
“I was playing a point, where I ran towards the ball, which was clearly out, as you can see in the picture. There was a linesman and a chair umpire refereeing the match. The call never came from either of them. So I raised my hand immediately, but the umpire claims she didn’t see it, which can happen, but then she refused to come down and even check the mark.
“The ATP rule says I am allowed to hit one ball after it bounces. It doesn’t matter where it goes; I can still challenge the call if it didn’t affect the play. Which is exactly what I did by raising my hand,” he wrote.
‘Why Do Players Get Penalised, But Not Chair Umpires’ – Sumit Nagal
Nagal said that the rules are tough for the players and invite heavy penalties when they make a mistake, but the umpires get away without any accountability. He added that players have more pressure than umpires because they need to win to earn money, unlike the umpires who don’t have such requirements. Nagal said that one wrong umpiring call can spoil the game or even the tournament for the players.
“Players get penalized for mistakes that happen knowingly or unknowingly. Mistakes can happen; we are humans, and I understand. But why do we players get penalized with money when we make mistakes, and not chair umpires? Players have the added pressure of needing to win to make money. Umpires have comparatively less pressure because they don’t need to win to get paid. Why should they face no pressure? For players, one wrong call can decide a match or even a tournament. You get penalized in life if you make a mistake knowingly or unknowingly,” he added.
Nagal added that he felt hopeless after the three harsh decisions, making it very difficult for him to continue.
“Today I felt so hopeless and broken-hearted because I couldn’t even defend myself. It was emotionally tough for me to get past that point afterward. I got three wrong calls in a single point — where no call came, the referee refused to come down to check, and the referee didn’t see me appeal to it.
“I humbly request ATP/ITF to make a change that would enable us players to defend ourselves as well. I believe matches should not be dependent on referees in 2026 when you can leverage technology.
“I am sorry if I let my fans/supporters down. Thank you and see you.”
