The Russian tennis player played brilliantly against the American Madison Keys and could get into the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, but at first she gave up on herself, and then the judges made an extremely controversial decision in favor of her opponent. Tennis fans on social media expressed dissatisfaction after the referee's decision, and Mirra did not even shake hands with her after the match.
What happened between the judge and AndreevaThe scandal ended one of the brightest meetings at Wimbledon 2023. The rising star of world tennis, 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva, almost won her seventh consecutive victory in the tournament. The Russian woman confidently took the first set in the confrontation with Madison Keys and led 4:1 in the second, but then she suddenly began to fail one draw after another. In the end, everything was decided on a tie-break, where the American was a little more accurate.
Grand SlamsWimbledon WTAJuly 10, 2023 • Start at 13:05FinishedMadison KeysUSA2 : 13:67:66:2Mirra AndreevaRussia
After the end of the game, Mirra threw her racket in her heart, for which she received a warning from the referee. Who would have thought then how it would all turn out. In the meantime, in the third set, Andreeva did everything possible to save the match. It worked out with varying degrees of success. With the score 5:2 in favor of Keys, there was an episode that everyone will be discussing for a long time. The Russian woman slipped in an attempt to hit the ball, her racket fell out of her hands and hit the court.
The judge, apparently impressed by the previous episode with the thrown racket, considered that this time young Andreeva succumbed to emotions. As a result, Mirra was fined a point, Keys received a match-ball, which she converted and reached the quarterfinals. The Russian woman tried to argue and explain to the judge that she simply slipped and did nothing for which she could be punished. However, the girl on the tower was adamant. Andreeva was so upset that she did not even shake hands with the judge after the end of the meeting.
«The actions of the judge must be investigated» The main scandal of the day immediately resonated in social networks. Tennis fans argued how correct it was to punish the Russian woman at that moment. The majority came to the conclusion that the tough decision of the judge may have been made because of Andreeva's nationality.
«What the hell was the judge thinking when she decided to punish the Russian woman with a penalty point,» Arianna wondered .
«»The referee made a disgusting decision, fixing the violation when Mirra just slipped. Terrible way to end the tournament for a 16-year-old talent. She was so cool on the grid. The actions of the referee should be investigated,» said Andrew Jenson.
«The referee is just brazenly robbed a 16-year-old Russian woman. The girl just slipped, as a result of which her racket fell out of her hands. And then she is punished with a penalty point and give her opponent a match ball, «Goethe wrote.
«There is no doubt that the referee would not have penalized a tennis player with a more powerful reputation. It was a vile decision. Perhaps the fact that Andreeva is from Russia made the decision easier,» said Shaaschi.
«What an unfair act of the referee and the complete lack of sports etiquette on the part of the Keys. That's not how you win matches,» said Annemiek Heutnik.
The importance of that moment lies in the fact that Andreeva managed to impose a fight on an American at a difficult moment and, in theory, had a chance to turn the game over again. In women's tennis, this happens all the time. In fact, Keys managed to do the same in the second set when she lost to Mirra. If the Russian woman had taken that game, the score would have become 3:5, and then it was necessary to take her own and someone else's serve. Quite a working option.
It is a pity that the fairy tale of a talented tennis player ended in this way. On the other hand, another brilliant performance by Andreeva at the Grand Slam tournament leaves no doubt that her victories will come, and it will be in the foreseeable future. And then no controversial decisions of the judges will prevent her from achieving what she deserves.