“That umpiring was terrible.” Jannik Sinner recently tasted a defeat at the hands of the 12th-seeded Greek, Stefanos Tsitsipas, in the semifinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters. However, during the match, the new number 2 player also became a victim of oversight from the officials, who didn’t make any call after Tsitsipas appeared to hit the ball long when he served. Reacting to the controversial umpiring decision, the American tennis veteran Andy Roddick recently came forward to issue his honest take.

In the latest episode of the Tennis Channel Live Podcast, the 2003 US Open champion didn’t hold himself back from criticizing the ‘terrible umpiring’ during the Monte-Carlo Masters semifinals between Sinner and Tsitsipas. Roddick said, “Listen, if we are going to be fair on all sides of tennis, we’ll tell you when a player has a cr*ppy day, that umpiring was terrible. You know, it is in the middle of the court, it’s the second serve, it’s clear as day, it’s not that it’s on the sidelines.”

The former tennis ace went on to talk about how players also have to ‘pay the price’ of mistakes made by officials. “Like I’m trying to think of potential excuses to miss the second serve at that juncture, and there’s none. There is, frankly, just none. But unfortunately, when a player is bad at their job, they pay the price. When an umpire is bad at their job, the player pays the price also,” he added.

Sinner showed absolute class after his disappointing defeat, as he accepted it was normal to make mistakes. Notably, Roddick lauded the young ATP sensation by saying, “So, Sinner handled it a lot better than I would have, I promise you that.” Aside from the former American tennis player, Sinner himself issued an honest statement on the controversial decision by the umpire.

“It’s already the past”– Jannik Sinner handled the controversial situation with top-class

After the controversial decision was not overruled, the 12th-seeded Greek player went on to win the crucial game before eventually clinching a three-set victory. Even though it was a ‘tough’ one for him, the reigning Grand Slam champion decided not to blame it on the umpire.

In his post-match press conference, Sinner said, “No, it happened. You know, you cannot do nothing anymore. It’s already the past.” Further emphasizing the fact that humans are tend to make mistakes, Jannik added, “You know, everyone can make mistakes unfortunately or fortunately. You know, also I can make mistakes. And it went like this.” 

What do you think of the American tennis veteran showcasing his support for Jannik Sinner after he became a victim of an oversight from the umpire? Let us know in the comments section.