Aryna Sabalenka addressed the line call dispute she and Alexander Zverev had to face. Sabalenka’s controversial line call dispute took place during the 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, while Zverev’s was at the Madrid Open.
Aryna Sabalenka Addresses Alexander Zverev’s Line Call Dispute As Well as the Controversy She Was Surrounded in Stuttgart
During Sabalenka’s quarterfinal match against Elise Mertens in Stuttgart, a line judge called one of her shots ‘out’. This prompted the World No. 1 to ask the chair umpire, Miriam Bley, to inspect the ball mark, but the umpire agreed with the line judge’s call.
This did not sit well with the World No. 1, who, during changeover, used her mobile to take a picture of the ball mark, which resulted in a code violation from Bley for unsportsmanlike conduct.
On the other hand, Zverev faced a similar situation during the 2025 Madrid Open. During his third-round match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, the electronic line-calling system deemed a shot by the Spaniard to be ‘in’.
This decision was questioned by the German, who complained to the chair umpire, Mohamed Lahyani, that the ball was out. However, Lahyani did not change the call, prompting Zverev to take a picture of the ball mark, which he later shared on his social media. This action resulted in a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct for the World No. 2.
Recently, while speaking to the press ahead of beginning her campaign at the 2025 Italian Open, Aryna Sabalenka discussed the line-calling controversy surrounding her match in Stuttgart and Zverev’s match in Madrid.
The World No. 1 mentioned that the electronic line calling system in Madrid did not cause her any problems like it did for Zverev.
“I think in Madrid was much better. Me personally, I didn’t see any mistakes. I know there was interesting situation with Alexander [Zverev] which is quite obvious for me that was a mistake. I think they figured the system on another day,” Sabalenka said.
Sabalenka mentioned that she considers her line calling dispute during the quarterfinal match in Stuttgart to be “worse” than Zverev’s.
“My situation was much worse because the referee actually got down, checked the mark, and called it out, where it was obviously in. Not every referee are strong enough to accept their mistake and to, yeah, make a right call. Once again, we all making mistakes and it’s okay,” she continued.
Aryna Sabalenka also expressed that she trusts the Hawk-Eye system more during matches than the match referees.
“Right now I prefer the Hawk-Eye system. I trust it more with most of the referees. Most of the referees, lately I had the best referees. Even if it wouldn’t be a Hawk-Eye system, I would trust them. I think maybe it’s better, so less tension between the player and the referee,” Aryna Sabalenka added.
Aryna Sabalenka and Alexander Zverev To Compete at Italian Open 2025
Sabalenka and Zverev are set to compete at the 2025 Italian Open, which began on May 6, 2025. Last year, Sabalenka finished as the runner-up to Iga Świątek, while Zverev clinched the title by defeating Nicolás Jarry in the championship match.
This year, Zverev is the second seed at the ATP Masters 1000 clay court tournament in Rome, and he will commence his title defense in the second round following a first-round bye. His opening match will be against either Camilo Ugo Carabelli or lucky loser Pablo Carreño Busta.
Zverev has a perfect record against Carreño Busta, having won all four of their previous encounters. Their latest encounter was in the third round of the 2024 Cincinnati Open, which the German won 7-5, 7-6(6).
Zverev has never faced Carabelli on the ATP Tour, so their potential second-round clash in Rome will be their first-ever encounter.
Meanwhile, on the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka is the top seed at the 2025 Italian Open. Like Zverev, she will kick off her campaign in the second round after earning a first-round bye. Her first match will be against either Anastasia Potapova or Dayana Yastremska.
Sabalenka has faced Yastremska four times on the WTA Tour, with the Ukrainian emerging victorious in three of their four meetings. Their most recent encounter was in the third round of the 2024 Italian Open, where the World No. 1 emerged victorious with a score of 6-4, 6-2.
On the other hand, Sabalenka has only faced Potapova once on tour, in the semifinals of the 2023 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, where the Belarusian claimed a 6-1, 6-2 win.