"I think you're wrong on this” - Andy Murray to chair umpire after former's cap falls mid-point

Andy Murray called out chair umpire Carlos Bernardes for not stopping a point after the player's cap fell during his first-round match at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters on Monday (April 10).

Playing in the tournament for the first time since 2017, the Brit lost 6-1, 6-3 to Alex de Minaur in one hour and 27 minutes in the opening round. The 14th-seed Australian broke his opponent four times to extend his head-to-head lead against Murray to 3-0. The three-time Grand Slam champion finished with 26 unforced errors to just eight from de Minaur.

During the third game of the second set, Murray's cap fell as soon as he hit a forehand and he stopped, expecting the point to be replayed. However, the umpire awarded the point to de Minaur, who ended it with a drop shot. This forced Murray to question the umpire.

Murray: So when my hat falls off, I'm supposed to play the point? I've never once played a point in my career where my hat has fallen off and you keep playing.

Bernardes: If the hat falls off like you here at the back of the court and you're running, it's different because it can hinder him. This way, it was different. You don't stop, you keep playing.

As the players changed ends, Murray once again confronted the Brazilian umpire, who kept trying to explain the rule to the 35-year-old player. However, the Brit was still not convinced.

Murray: You're 100 per cent sure that's the rule?

Bernardes: You're maybe confusing it with [when] you hit the shot, your hat falls off, and he is going to make the shot. Then it can hinder him. He hit the shot, he kept playing, he didn't stop. Let's say if you run to keep the point on, we're going to stop because then it can hinder him.

Murray: I think you're wrong on this. We can check this afterwards because I think you're wrong.

---

Andy Murray to take a call on remaining clay season after Monte-Carlo Masters 2023 early exit

Andy Murray during the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters

Andy Murray faced a first-round exit at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters as he lost 6-1, 6-3 to Alex de Minaur. In a press conference after the match, the World No. 54 expressed his disappointment and remarked that he will decide whether to continue playing or skip the entire clay season.

"I’m pretty disappointed, to be honest, because I practiced well last week," Andy Murray said. "It’s just whether I play the clay court season or whether I miss it. I have to have a long think about things with my team and what I do from here, in terms of where I train or do I stick on the clay. It was, it was pretty, pretty disappointing."

Murray has a win-loss record of 8-6 in the 2023 season. He reached the final of the Qatar Open in February, where Daniil Medvedev beat him in straight sets.