In the second game of the decisive set, Herbert thought Sonego's shot was off and asked referee Timo Janzen to go down to the court to check the ball mark. After observing, the referee still determined the ball was in the court, causing the French player to react violently.
Herbert continuously argued with the referee, claiming that he had misread the ball mark. The 35-year-old tennis player even declared that he would not continue the exchange if he did not receive an apology. Herbert's strong reaction received support from a large number of home fans, making the atmosphere on Simone Mathieu's court tense.
However, Lorenzo Sonego still maintained his concentration and took advantage of his psychological advantage to win an important break point, taking a 2-0 lead in the final set. The Italian player then closed the match lasting more than 4 hours with a 7-6, 5-7, 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 victory to win the right to continue.
The incident once again sparked debate about Roland Garros not yet applying the automatic electronic referee system like many other major ATP Tour tournaments. The Grand Slam clay court organizers have long defended the view that the shadows on the court surface are clear enough for referees to directly check and make decisions.
However, many tennis players believe that the use of ball dropping technology will help limit unnecessary disputes in important matches. In fact, the specific nature of clay courts makes ball marks potentially affected by court surface conditions, red brick dust as well as the athlete's continuous slips and movements. This sometimes leads to ball marks not fully reflecting the actual contact position of the ball.
Roland Garros 2026 kicks off the main round from the 24th. 5. The men's singles final is scheduled to take place on the 7th. 6. The defending men's singles champion is Carlos Alcaraz, while the women's singles champion is Coco Gauff.
