Wimbledon 2021 results: Ajla Tomljanovic vs Jelena Ostapenko cheating accusation, medical time-out, score
Australian Ajla TomljanovicтАЩs third round Wimbledon match ended in controversy after she accused her opponent of cheating.
An accusation of cheating rocked the third round match at Wimbledon between Australian Ajla Tomljanovic and Jelena Ostapenko.
Tomljanovic came from a set down to win 4-6 6-4 6-2, but the match was marred by a spiteful clash between the two tennis stars.
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Tomljanovic was leading the third set 4-0, had won seven games in a row and was on track to comfortably close out the match, before Ostapenko called for a medical time-out.
The 28-year-old was furious that her opponent had called for the trainer but did not appear to be hampered by injury whatsoever.
Tennis players have been criticised over the years for taking medical time-outs strategically in order to compose themselves and stop an opponentтАЩs momentum.
тАЬI cannot continue. I have pain,тАЭ Ostapenko old the umpire.
тАЬYou know sheтАЩs lying, right? We all know,тАЭ Tomljanovic argued to the umpire. тАЬAre you taking into any consideration that she looked fine?тАЭ
Ostapenko was allowed to take the medical time-out and returned just three minutes later and managed to break TomljanovicтАЩs serve.
But the Australian closed out the match and made it very clear she was unimpressed with OstapenkoтАЩs decision to take a time-out.
Tomljanovic celebrated the victory before approaching the net and hesitated before reluctantly shaking OstapenkoтАЩs hand as a fiery exchange ensued.
Ostapenko: If you think I am faking, you can talk to the physio.
Tomljanovic: I hope you feel better.
Ostapenko: Your behaviour is terrible. You have zero respect
Tomljanovic: Honestly, youтАЩre the one to talk.
Ostapenko: What? So bad, so bad.
Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion, then appeared to call Tomljanovic the тАЬworst player on tourтАЭ.
The confrontation overshadowed what was a sensational win for Tomljanovic that sees her progress to the fourth round at Wimbledon тАФ her best ever result at a grand slam.
тАШItтАЩs disgraceful behaviourтАЩ: Spat continues in pressers
Speaking at her post-match press conference, Tomljanovic stood her ground.
тАЬShe can say she was injured. I donтАЩt think she was,тАЭ said Tomljanovic. тАЬThere was nothing wrong with her the whole match, but then why on 4-0 she calls it? So I think that thatтАЩs a clear reason that she just wanted to get me off my game.
тАЬThen to top it all off, for her to call me disrespectful at the end of the match is laughable.
тАЬI think itтАЩs disgraceful behaviour from someone that is a slam champion, because kids look at her and they see that? IтАЩm sorry, if she was injured, she could have gone about it in a way better way.тАЭ
The incident brought back unhappy memories for Tomljanovic. In the 2019 WTA final at Hua Hin in Thailand, she was 5-2 up in the decider when Ukraine opponent Dayana Yastremska called a medical time out for a leg injury.
The delay caused the Australian to lose momentum and eventually the match. Tomljanovic said she was getting increasingly frustrated with medical time-outs being used as a ploy.
тАЬThe fact that she did it at 4-0 today when I was about to serve, thatтАЩs disrespectful,тАЭ she said. тАЬIтАЩm just honestly tired of it. IтАЩm tired of it happening and seeing it happen. We can do better than that.тАЭ
Ostapenko, the world No. 34 and a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2018, insisted her injury was genuine and that the pain had become increasingly worse as the match wore on.
тАЬI think it was very disrespectful what she did. I mean, how can you say тАШliarтАЩ or something if you know zero about my injury,тАЭ said the Latvian.
тАЬYou cannot say that. In front of everybody, call me liar? I donтАЩt think itтАЩs respectful from her side.
тАЬSo thatтАЩs what I said, тАШYou are a very bad player because of this behaviourтАЩ. ThatтАЩs it. You are winning, but it does not mean you can do everything you want.тАЭ
Ostapenko, who was the champion in Eastbourne on the eve of Wimbledon, insisted that had she been fully fit, she would have comfortably made the last 16.
тАЬI think my level today was not good after the first set, because if I played at least 50 per cent I would have beaten her,тАЭ she said.
With AFP
