Jelena Dokic has weighed in after an outfit change caused show at the US Open amid calls for tennis rule producers to roll out an improvement.
Czechia’s Karolina Muchova is facing criticism from the tennis community for taking an extended respite during her straight-sets quarterfinals win over Sorana Cirstea on Wednesday at the U.S. Open.
Muchova, who is positioned No. 10 in the world, left the court after her first-set victory versus Cirstea, 6-0, as the temperature in Flushing Meadows inched nearer to the low 90s, the NY Post reports.
A tense trade then unfurled between Cirstea and the chair umpire, with the Romanian athlete prepared to continue playing.
“I am the one waiting for her to serve,” the 33-year-old Cirstea said.
“I don’t understand what you want from me.”
Former Australian tennis genius Jelena Dokic likewise weighed in on Muchova’s curious action, which apparently was an outfit change.
“She went for a difference in shirt and usually you don’t do that when you’ve got the momentum,” Dokic commentated for Australia’s Channel 9.
“Not just the momentum but she won 6-0.”
Dokic, presently 40, arrived at the fourth round of the U.S. Open during her playing career in 2000 and 2001 preceding retiring in 2014.
Concerning Muchova, who was taken out of the first round of last year’s U.S. Open by Aryna Sabalenka, she’s gearing up for a semi-finals showdown against American teen Coco Gauff on Thursday.
“I remember last year I was really struggling with injury,” Muchova said.
“I lost here first round and I couldn’t continue, no doubt just really delighted to compete.”
The 27-year-old Muchova arrived at the finals of the French Open earlier this year and lost to world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in three sets.
Muchova confronted Gauff last month in the final of the Cincinnati Open, with the 19-year-old American taking down her opponent, 6-3, 6-4.
Aussie tennis great Todd Woodbridge fumed over the issue on Monday when Daniil Medvedev took a 20-minute break after he lost the first set to Alex de Minaur.
“For what reason do you want to leave the court for that long?” Woodbridge told 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 needs to do something about these changeovers.
“It’s just such a crutch that everyone appears to go to when they’re down, and it’s just not part of the game.
“It shouldn’t be there, I implore our standards officials to get in and stop all this stuff going on, in light of the fact that 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 should be taken out.
“It’s a particularly annoying part of our game. You shouldn’t do this. And the umpire is letting him get away with it”.
