Brad Gilbert, coach to tennis sensation Coco Gauff, has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Andrey Rublev’s disqualification at the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships. Rublev’s confrontation with a line umpire led to his ejection from the tournament despite his denial of using profanity.
Gilbert expressed disapproval of Rublev’s actions but criticized the absence of electronic line calling, calling it “absolutely ridiculous.” He pointed out similar issues during the preceding WTA 1000 event in Dubai, referencing Coco Gauff’s disputed call against Karolina Pliskova.
“For the record, I don’t condone what Rubles did to the linesperson… my beef [is] absolutely ridiculous to not have electronic court in Dubai,” Gilbert tweeted.
During Gauff’s match against Pliskova, a disputed call by chair umpire Pierre Bacchi led to confusion. Gilbert advocated for “incidental challenges” to address such situations, emphasizing the need for technology to prevent contentious decisions.
for the record i don’t condone what Rubles did to linesperson, even if didn’t swear at, that becomes judgement call 📞 for umpire that’s 50-50 default, my beef 🥩 absolutely 💯 ridiculous to not have electronic court in Dubai same issue with women’s week before
— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) March 2, 2024
“This is exactly why you should have incidental challenges,” Gilbert emphasized.
this is exactly why you should have incidental challenges https://t.co/m3a00Oooz1
— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) February 21, 2024
Gilbert’s remarks shed light on the importance of fair officiating and the necessity for modern technology to ensure accurate calls, minimizing controversies like Rublev’s disqualification and Gauff’s disputed call in professional tennis tournaments.
Andrey Rublev in 2024
Now ranked no.5 (career-high), the Russian played his last match on the 1st of March when he was defeated by world no.20 Alexander Bublik 6-7(4) 7-6(5) 6-5 def. in the semifinal in Dubai (draw).
This season Rublev has achieved a composed 14-4 win-loss record. Andrey clinched 1 title in Hong Kong.
Andrey Rublev |
| Embed from Getty Images |
