Hubert Hurkacz caused a scandal. © APA/afp / BERTRAND GUAY

Sinner's friend Hurkacz causes a scandal

An unusual incident at the French Open caused a lot of talk on Sunday evening. The Polish tennis professional Hubert Hurkacz brought a surprising demand to the table in his round of 16 match against Grigor Dimitrov: the replacement of the referee.

June 04, 2024

From: sn

During the third set, Hurkacz, after repeatedly being annoyed by referee Alison Hughes' decisions, turned directly to his opponent Dimitrov and asked: "Do you want to continue with the queen here or make a change?"

The strange scene sparked a wave of reactions on social media. Some fans were amused by the unusual request, while others found Hurkacz's behavior disrespectful to the experienced referee. One user on X commented: "I've never seen anything like this - absolutely bizarre and disrespectful."

Hurkacz calls for a change of referee

The background to the demand was the young Pole's frustration over a controversial decision when the score was 5:4 in the third set. Hughes had seen a shot from him go out of bounds, which the Pole couldn't accept. Even confirmation from Dimitrov, who also saw the ball out of bounds, didn't calm him down.


Although there was no change of referee, Dimitrov continued the match with concentration and ultimately won in three sets 7:6, 6:4, 7:6. This victory was particularly significant for the 33-year-old Bulgarian as he reached the quarterfinals of the French Open for the first time at his 14th attempt. “I always wanted to reach the second week here,” said a relieved Dimitrov after the match.


Hurkacz couldn't really explain his behavior after the match and only emphasized that it was important to him to get Dimitrov's opinion. Dimitrov took the strange situation calmly and showed understanding: "In the heat of the moment you sometimes say things that you don't mean." Hurkacz has been considered Jannik Sinner's best friend on the ATP tour for several years.