Dan Evans has called for "the worst rule" in tennis to be changed after overcoming both opponent Jeremy Chardy and an umpiring row in his second round match at the Australian Open.
After his marathon effort in the first round clash, with the British No 2 needing three and a half hours to beat Facundo Bagnis in a match plagued by searing heat, Thursday morning was a breeze by comparison. Evans took less than two hours to see off the Frenchman 6-4 6-4 6-1 and set up a tie with fifth seed Andrey Rublev on Saturday.
But his latest win wasn't without controversy. His 35-year-old opponent was left incensed by an incident in the first set when, facing a break point, a ball fell out of his pocket during play.
In tennis, the rules demand that the point is replayed in such circumstances. But unfortunately for Chardy, German umpire Miriam Bley did not pick up on what had happened until a split second after he netted, and she awarded the crucial point to Evans.
An irate Chardy then became embroiled in a prolonged row with the official, and although a supervisor was called to court to mediate the initial decision stood. Maintaining the rage during his discussion with the supervisor, he accused the umpire of 'lying'.
Then the player later took no prisoners in his post-match interview. "It's a big mistake from the umpire. I was angry because she should stop straightaway, and she says she didn't even see the ball," he said. "I don't know what she's doing because she doesn't call in or out, she just called the score, and if she doesn't watch the point, I don't know why she's on the chair. So I was p***ed, and I was even more p***ed when she didn't tell me she made the mistake."
Chardy added he felt umpires should be sanctioned for such situations whilst Evans, who remained in his seat throughout the row, later argued that it was the rule, and not the incident, which should come under scrutiny: "I think it's the worst rule ever. If a ball comes out of your pocket, it's your own fault." he said.
The 32-year-old admitted he felt the saga went on "too long," but kept composure to hold serve and win the first set. And he also conceded he was at a loss as to how the situation should have been handled.
"I know Jeremy relatively well, so I didn't really want it to sour the match," he continued. "If it was someone I didn't know so well, I'd be hoping he was getting fired up and a bit angry with the situation. I don't really know what to make of what happened. I don't really know who was in the right and who was in the wrong. It was just a pretty awkward situation."
