ATP Chair Umpire Mohamed Lahyani Beats the Blackout at Madrid Open
Chaos ensued at the Madrid Open when a massive nationwide power outage in Spain halted all matches relying on electronic line-calling and digital scoreboards. Matches across the grounds were suspended, as the technology-driven officiating systems went completely dark.
However, one match found a way forward thanks to the quick thinking and adaptability of legendary chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani. During the match between Italy's Matteo Arnaldi and Bosnia's Damir Dzumhur, Lahyani took full control — manually calling lines and keeping the score himself, ensuring that play could continue despite the technical chaos.
Advertisement
Arnaldi managed to close out the match in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. Yet, due to the power failure, the result is not officially recognized on the ATP website for now. Typically, match results are entered directly through the chair umpire's tablet, which was rendered useless during the outage.
Despite the extraordinary circumstances, Lahyani's old-school officiating kept the spirit of the tournament alive. His heroics offered a reminder of a time before tennis became so reliant on technology — and earned him plenty of praise from players and fans alike.
Fans all around the world were left confused after a few platforms showed that the match had been suspended while others showed that the match had completed. Multiple tennis fans looked for confirmation on social media, and finally it looked like ATP acknowledged the completion of the match.
This unusual day at the Madrid Open will be remembered not just for the blackout, but also for Lahyani's quick thinking.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
4 hours ago
- Washington Post
A stacked DC Open field adds world No. 10 Ben Shelton to men's draw
An already-stacked DC Open field added another top player Thursday, when organizers announced world No. 10 Ben Shelton would be in the men's draw for next month's tournament. The addition of Shelton, a 2024 semifinalist, gives the event the top eight American men in the ATP rankings. Taylor Fritz, the highest-ranked American at No. 5, previously joined a field already marked by talent from the men's and women's tours.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
When is Wimbledon 2025? Start date, schedule, seeds, draw and how to watch tennis' most prestigious event
While winning any Grand Slam is a monumental accomplishment in tennis, winning Wimbledon remains the peak of the sport. Since the tournament started in 1877, it's remained tennis' most prestigious event. When you think of tennis, Wimbledon immediately comes to mind. The 2025 tournament is set to kick off soon, and plenty of the big names will be looking to win it all. On the men's side, Carlos Alcaraz will look to carry his French Open momentum forward. Alcaraz will head into Wimbledon as the No. 2 ranked men's player, behind Jannik Sinner, who Alcaraz defeated to win the French Open. Alcarez won Wimbledon last year, so he's no stranger to success at the event. Advertisement On the women's side, Barbora Krejcikova will look to defend her crown after taking down some tough competition last year. But a number of higher-ranked women will look to prove themselves after disappointing performances at Wimbledon in 2024. Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek both suffered early losses at the tournament. Women's No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka had to withdraw from the event due to a shoulder injury. That should give Krejcikova plenty of competition as she looks to repeat. With Wimbledon 2025 just around the corner, here's everything you need to know about the prestigious event, including the dates, schedule and draw for the tournament. Wimbledon 2025 will begin Monday, June 30. The event will progress until the middle of July, with the women's final being held Saturday, July 12. The men's final will occur the following day. Advertisement That's fairly standard for the event, which normally begins at the end of June and ends in mid-July. Wimbledon 2025 schedule Below is a full schedule for Wimbledon 2025: Monday, June 30: First round singles play begins Tuesday, July 1: First round singles play continues Wednesday, July 2: Second round singles play begins Thursday, July 3: Second round singles play continues Friday, July 4: Third round singles play begins Saturday, July 5: Third round singles play continues Sunday, July 6: Fourth round singles play begins Monday, July 7: Fourth round singles play continues Tuesday, July 8: Singles quarterfinals play begins Wednesday, July 9: Singles quarterfinals play continues Thursday, July 10: Women's singles semifinals Friday, July 11: Men's singles semifinals Saturday, July 12: Women's singles final Sunday, July 13: Men's singles final Wimbledon 2025 draw Draws have not been completed for Wimbledon 2025 at this time. Both the men's and women's draw will occur Friday, June 27. This section will be updated once draws are completed. Wimbledon 2024 seeds Wimbledon seeds will mostly follow the ATP and WTA rankings. Wimbledon already released a seeding announcement for the 2025 tournament ahead of its draw. Much like the ATP rankings, Jannik Sinner is the top-seeded male competitor at the tournament. He'll be followed by Carlos Alcaraz. Advertisement Here's how the rest of the top-10 shake out on the men's side: Jannik Sinner (ITA) Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) Alexander Zverev (GER) Jack Draper (GBR) Taylor Fritz (USA) Novak Djokovic (SRB) Lorenzo Musetti (ITA) Holger Rune (DEN) Daniil Medvedev Ben Shelton (USA) And here's how the top-10 looks on the women's side: Aryna Sabalenka Coco Gauff (USA) Jessica Pegula (USA) Jasmine Paolini (ITA) Qinwen Zheng (CHN) Madison Keys (USA) Mirra Andreeva Iga Swiatek (POL) Paula Badosa (ESP) Emma Navarro (USA) Wimbledon 2025 prize money The winners of Wimbledon in 2025 will receive £3,000,000. That's an increase of 11.1 percent compared to last year's prize pool. That converts to $4,092,600. Every participant in the event receives money for making it in. The total prize pool for 2025 Wimbledon singles players is £38,828,000. That's an 8.2 percent increase compared to 2024. How to watch Wimbledon 2025? Wimbledon 2025 will air on ESPN in the United States. The network has broadcast Wimbledon since 2003, and has held exclusive rights in the U.S. since 2013. Coverage will be shown on ESPN, ABC, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. Every match is available to be streamed with ESPN+. Disney+ subscribers will be able to watch the first day of the tournament on the Disney+ app. Individuals who have the Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ bundle will be able to stream the entire tournament.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Could I qualify for Wimbledon?
For many, playing at Wimbledon - one of the most iconic sporting venues in the world - is the dream. So, can anyone qualify? And how would you do it? How do players qualify for Wimbledon? To automatically qualify for Wimbledon, you need to be ranked higher than 104 in the world at the cut-off point, which is about six weeks before the tournament. Advertisement But players ranked lower are sometimes included, if those higher up the rankings withdraw. Professional players accumulate ranking points by playing in ATP and WTA events. There are more points available for higher levels of tournaments, ranging from Grand Slams down to ATP and WTA 250 events. These tournaments are reserved for professional players competing on the ATP and WTA tour - not for the likes of you and me. To calculate the men's singles world rankings, the ATP takes a player's points collected from the best 19 results during a 12-month period. For the women's singles rankings, the WTA counts the best 18 results from the same timeframe. Who are the Wimbledon qualifiers for? The Wimbledon qualifying tournament, which is running from Monday 23 June to Thursday 26 June, is reserved for players who are not already guaranteed a spot in the main draw. Advertisement These are players who are outside the top 104, according to the world rankings. Players will compete in a three-round knockout tournament to earn one of the Championships' 16 places for both the men's and women's draws. The tournament organisers - the All England Lawn Tennis Club - also awards wildcards to players typically based on their previous performances at Wimbledon. So, how can I get ranking points? Your ranking is a crucial metric should you want to make your Wimbledon dreams materialise. The first logistical hurdle is getting yourself an International Player Identification Number, or an IPIN, from the sport's world governing body - the International Tennis Federation (ITF). Advertisement Anyone can apply for one, and with a one-off payment of $75 (£65) you will then be able to enter tournaments. You will also need to get yourself an ITF World Tennis number, which is free. In the UK, the Lawn Tennis Association provides the instructions as to how to set yourself up with one. World Tennis Numbers allows players to find evenly matched opponents and track performance. This system was introduced by the ITF in October 2021, and is now operational in 174 countries around the world. The global rating system for players is on a scale from 40 (beginner) to one (professional). Improving your performance over time might allow you to hit eligibility criteria for the ITF World Tennis Tours, the entry level competitions for men's and women's tennis. Advertisement For the ITF Tours events, players with a WTA (women's) or ATP (men's) singles ranking will be selected first, followed by those with an ITF World Tennis Ranking, and then those with a ITF World Tennis Number. These World Tennis Tours provide several levels of competition for players to gain ranking points, and work their way up the rankings to a level which they might be considered for ATP or WTA events. It's a well-trodden pathway used by the likes of Emma Raducanu, who won her first three professional titles on the ITF World Tennis Tour - before going on to win her fourth at a Grand Slam, the US Open. Getting yourself in roughly the top 220 ranked players in the world will start allowing you to enter qualifying for ATP and WTA events. The more successful players are in these events, the more ranking points they will earn, and the closer they get towards qualifying for the main draw at Wimbledon. Advertisement This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team. What is Ask Me Anything? Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions. We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do. The team will find out everything you need to know and be able to call upon a network of contacts including our experts and pundits. We will be answering your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and going behind the scenes at some of the world's biggest sporting events. Our coverage will span the BBC Sport website, app, social media and YouTube accounts, plus BBC TV and radio. More questions answered...
