Getting Kiefered

The Age has commented on the latest new move on the pro circuit court, including a nice photo:

In the 12th game of the final set of a titanic tussle lasting four hours, 48 minutes, Kiefer played an angled drop shot, and as Grosjean stretched for it the volcanic German tossed his racquet across the Frenchman's field of view.

Grosjean fluffed his stroke and as Kiefer feigned innocence, the Frenchman asked umpire Carlos Bernades to rule there had been a hindrance. When Bernades was unwilling to do this, Grosjean called for grand slam supervisor Mike Morrissey, who sided with the umpire. Grosjean then shouted at Morrissey, "Go away! Go over there!", gesturing with racquet in the direction of the tunnel.

The rules of the game state: "If a player is hindered in playing the point by a deliberate act of the opponent(s), the player shall win the point." On those grounds, Grosjean should have been awarded the point.

Replays of the incident are inconclusive on whether Grosjean saw the racquet before he failed to make his shot, and this, plus uncertainty from Bernades on whether Kiefer meant to throw his racquet, could have made the umpire reluctant to award the point to Grosjean.

Photo by Vince Caligiuri