Sumit Nagal expresses disappointment over chair umpire’s decision at Poland Challenger

Indian tennis ace Sumit Nagal questioned the accountability of the chair umpires after a couple of alleged wrong calls in his first-round match at the ATP 100 Challenger event in Poland on Monday.

Sumit was playing against Czechia's Petr Brunclik in the 10th game of the second set when Brunclik hit a drop shot that Nagal thought was out, but the umpires called it in.

"I was playing a point where I ran towards the ball, which was clearly out. There was a linesman and a chair umpire refereeing the match. but the call never came from either of them," wrote Nagal in a social media post.

"So I raised my hand immediately (to challenge), but the umpire claimed she didn’t see it, which can happen, but then she refused to come down and even check the mark", he added.

The 28-year-old, unhappy with the decision, argued with the chair umpire before retiring from the match while trailing 4-6, 4-5, handing a walkover to Petr Brunclik.

He also questioned the ATP/ITF on the accountability of referees, who have no monetary fines for mistakes, while if any athletes make a mistake, they are penalised.

"Players get penalised for mistakes that happen knowingly or unknowingly. Mistakes can happen; we are humans, and I understand. But why do we players get penalised with money when we make mistakes, and not chair umpires?. Why should they face no pressure? For players, one wrong call can decide a match or even a tournament. You get penalised in life if you make a mistake knowingly or unknowingly."

"I humbly request ATP/ITF to make a change that would enable us players to defend ourselves as well. I believe matches should not be dependent on referees in 2026 when you can leverage technology," he added.