- Saville was reacting to the furore around match point
- Controversy over Jack Draper’s victory in Cincinnati
- Novak Djokovic has also joined the debate
Australian tennis star Daria Saville has issued a stunning apology after her social media post about the sport’s biggest controversy sparked a devastatingly blunt response from Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Saville took to X to give his take on what became known as “the most controversial match point in history,” when Jack Draper defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Cincinnati Open on Saturday.
Draper came back from a set down to beat the Canadian 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, but Auger-Aliassime challenged the Briton and won the final point.
The umpire deemed Draper to have hit a winning volley, with the ball hitting the frame of his racket and rebounding into Auger-Aliassime’s side of the court after hitting the net cord.
However, Auger-Aliassime angrily claimed that his opponent had “kicked the ball into the ground”, meaning Draper hit the ball on the ground on his side of the court before it bounced into the net.
Saville posted the following tweet as the debate raged in tennis circles: ‘1. It’s not a double bounce (Draper attempted to hit a volley but simply picked it up on the bounce.
2. He doesn’t hit it on the ground (because if he did, the ball would be spinning forward). 3. Even if it’s a double hit, it’s still a single hit, so it’s legal.
Kokkinakis then posted the following message, using Saville’s nickname: ‘Dash, please delete this.’
Australian tennis star Daria Saville (pictured at the Paris Olympics) hastily deleted a tweet about tennis’ biggest controversy after receiving a blunt message from Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Kokkinakis (pictured playing in Canada last week) told Saville to delete his tweet about what is becoming known as “the most controversial match point in history”.
Saville was commenting on the huge debate that erupted after Jack Draper (right) beat Felix Auger-Aliassime (left) in a dramatic final point at the Cincinnati Open.
Saville simply replied “Ok” and did so, before posting: “I sincerely apologize for my actions. I take full responsibility and am committed to being a better person.”
That prompted tennis fans to back her stance on the controversy and urge her to fight to not be silenced.
“He doesn’t own you, girl,” wrote one.
“You shouldn’t have deleted it. You’re absolutely right,” added another.
Other commenters wrote: “You have no reason to apologize!”, “No, Daria, you were right!” and “You have no reason to apologize. Kokkinakis should apologize to you after his post. You were forced to delete a post that only showed how many people viewed the incident differently.”
However, others thought Saville’s apology may have been given lightly and was deliberately over-the-top.
“Don’t let them silence you even though you may have been wrong! #IStandWithDasha,” wrote one fan, to which Saville replied: “Bahahahah.”
“Daria, what you did was unacceptable. It will be very hard for me to… forgive you,” added another user.
Saville responded to this by writing: “I think time will heal things and I will work to improve.”
She and Kokkinakis weren’t the only stars to voice their opinions about the drama in Cincinnati.
Kokkinakis hit Saville with a strong message after she expressed her opinion that Draper had done nothing wrong and that her match-winning shot was legal.
The 30-year-old tennis star then issued this revealing apology, which left some tennis fans concerned she was being bullied into not speaking her mind.
Novak Djokovic has demanded that tennis make changes to ensure the “embarrassing” point “does not happen again”.
“It’s shameful that we don’t have video replays of these kinds of situations on the pitch,” the Serbian superstar tweeted.
‘What’s even more ridiculous is that we don’t have a rule that allows chair umpires to change the original decision based on video review that takes place off the court.
‘Everyone watching on TV sees what happened on the replay, but the players on the pitch remain in the shadows, not knowing what the result is.
‘We have Hawkeye for line calls, we live in the technologically advanced 21st century! Please, respective Tours, make sure this nonsense doesn’t happen again!’