Aryna Sabalenka issues clarification behind controversial Stuttgart umpire dispute days after heartbreaking final loss

Aryna Sabalenka has given a full clarification on the controversy she sparked at the recently concluded Stuttgart Open involving the umpire and a line mark. Her comments came after she suffered a tough defeat in her fourth final at the WTA 500 tournament.

Sabalenka’s Stuttgart campaign ended in heartache as her quest for the coveted Porsche remained unfulfilled. Despite a strong effort, she was outplayed by Jelena Ostapenko in the final, who triumphed with a dominant 6-4, 6-1 scoreline.

She defeated Elise Mertens and Jasmine Paolini to reach the final, and it was during her quarterfinal match against Mertens that controversy erupted. In the match, she hit a floated volley toward the baseline, which was called out by a line judge, giving Mertens a break of serve.

The World No. 1 then requested chair umpire Miriam Bley to review the call. Since Stuttgart doesn't have electronic line calling (ELC), the umpire inspected the ball mark. Bley upheld the line judge's call. Afterwards, while the players were sitting down, Sabalenka used a team member’s phone to take a photo of the mark, which she later shared on her Instagram Story.

Aryna Sabalenka recently told the media in Madrid:

"I prefer to have the Hawk-Eye system than the referee, because sometimes referees can be very weak to go there (to check the mark) and confirm that they made mistake, so yeah, I prefer to have the Hawk-Eye system.

Apparently, the three-time Grand Slam champion also experienced a tough handshake from her opponent at the net, in addition to receiving a code violation.