What Would You Have Done?

by Savannah

So you're sitting on the sidelines during a changeover. It's 4-3 in the first set and new balls are going to be introduced. The person you're playing is observed doing the following.



Now as a player you're probably going over the shots you've played and how you want to play going forward. As the chair umpire you're looking over the court, making sure everyone and everything is where they should be but somehow you miss one player taking the new balls and scuffing them up on her racquet before tossing them to the ball kids for use when play resumes.

As you can see Anabel Medina Garrigues did just that during her match against Serena Williams. The chair umpire was apparently busy with something else since Medina Garrigues scuffed up not just one or two but at least a couple of cans of new balls. She didn't even try to hide it.

I don't pretend to be a rule book expert so I have to ask if this violates if not the letter of the law then the spirit of the law? How is this not cheating? How did the chair umpire miss this? Did Medina Garrigues do this today or has she done this every day she's played? Who's job is it to review the video and decide what should happen to Medina Garrigues?

I hate to go where I'm going but I wonder if Medina Garrigues opponent sat in her seat and did this if the chair umpire would've noticed? I'm just throwing that out there.

Thanks to the tennishead "ShiftyFella" for posting this. We're waiting for the WTA or the ITF, or both, to make a statement.