Cameron Norrie was accused of causing a “hindrance” during his marathon five-set victory over Benoit Paire at Roland-Garros.
After going down two sets to one, the Brit scored a memorable comeback win, 7-5, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, yet his temper was tested on several occasions against the local hope as he battled the Paris heat and a loud home crowd.
He also had to combat the umpire, Nico Helwerth, who accused Norrie of making a loud noise to throw off Paire during a rally in the third game of the second set at 30-30.
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Locked at 1-1 in the second frame, the umpire ruled Norrie celebrated prematurely and yelled “yeah” for what he thought was a decisive shot during the exchange.
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”I consider what you shouted now as a hindrance,” Helwerth explained when Norrie walked over to his chair to discuss the incident.
“The ball was still in play. That is what it sounded like to me.”
Norrie contested the call and suggested it was a grunt amidst the rally.
“I just grunted! No?”
Helwerth said: “You didn’t grunt before. For me, that sounded like you said ‘yeah’. I might be wrong, but…”
While the crowd on a packed Court Suzanne-Lenglen played up to the exchange, making for an even tenser atmosphere, Norrie prevailed despite going on to lose the second and third sets. Throughout the rollercoaster mid-part of the match he was showered with boos when he challenged calls or even made changes to his ball toss.
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“It was an amazing match and all credit to Benoit,” Norrie said after his victory. “He played really well and we put on a good show.
“The support for both players was amazing. I had to fight back really hard. It is fortunate that it went my way in the fifth set, but I am pleased to get through after a tough one.”
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