Players rip into FOXTENN challenge system

Since 2005, the Hawk-Eye electronic challenge system has been the most widely used replay method in tennis. It was the only system approved by the various tennis federations for over a decade.

But in 2017, FOXTENN introduced its own “Real Bounce” line calling system.

Instead of an animated projection, FOXTENN uses slow-motion cameras to capture the bounce of the ball. It was used this past week in Acapulco, where some players weren't having it.

Reilly Opelka tweeted this about the system:

To which Taylor Fritz replied,

“Agreed… when a tournament uses FOXTENN I’ll challenge anything close cause it might just say it’s in.”

Fritz has since deleted the tweet, but he’s not the only one to share this sentiment.

In his straight-set loss to Tommy Paul, Alexander Zverev was so frustrated with the system he was nearly moved to tears. Check it out:

But wait, he wasn’t done yet:

Where there is smoke, there is usually fire. It will be interesting to see if this moment was a flash in the pan, or if there is a larger issue with the FOXTENN challenge system. Either way, we’ll be here for it.