Facing break point at 3-3 in the first set, a ball dropped out of the Frenchman’s pocket mid-point. While umpires are bound to call for a let as soon as they find the hindrance, umpire Miriam Bley, who officiated the match on Thursday, was slow to react.
After Chardy hit the net at the end of the rally, Evans was granted the point, securing the break. The umpire decided not to replay the point, however, considering she called for ’let’ only after the rally got finished.
Speaking about the incident during the post-match press conference, Chardy marked his annoyance with the chair umpire stating that he was “pissed” when she did not admit her “mistake.”
He added that it was a “big mistake” by the official not to have called for it on-time as he reflected on the lost point.
Chardy suffered a 6-4, 6-4, 6-1 defeat against Evans in straight sets on Thursday as his campaign at the Australian Open came to an end.
“If she doesn’t watch the point, I don’t know why she’s on the chair” - Jeremy Chardy on the chair umpire
Jeremy Chardy further registered his displeasure at chair umpire Bley, remarking that she shouldn’t be doing the job if she was not going to watch the point carefully during the match.
The veteran revealed that he felt “angry” at her, as it was her duty to stop play straightaway when such incidents happen.
When asked about whether his opponent Evans was also responsible for the error, Jeremy Chardy conveyed that it was not the Brit’s job to stop the point and that everything was completely down to the official.
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