"If this happens to a Rafael Nadal, Djokovic, Federer or a Kyrgios, it will be on all the news in the world" - Steven Diez on controversial umpire decision

Steven Diez thinks it would generate worldwide attention if Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer or Nick Kyrgios suffered the controversial umpiring decision he did last week. The unfortunate incident happened in the Canadian's final qualifying match at the ATP 250 event in Houston on Sunday.

Diez was leading Dutch opponent Gijs Brouwer 6-4, 5-4, AD-40 in Houston when he hit a backhand return winner on match point. Umpire Amir Borghei called 'Game, Set and Match', before leaving his chair to check the ball mark for Brouwer's serve and determined it was out.

Remarkably, the match then resumed, with Brouwer saving the replayed match point and winning three straight games to take the second set. The 26-year-old then won the deciding set 6-2 to qualify for the main draw at Diez's expense.

Brouwer has since gone on to defeat Feliciano Lopez and Jeffrey John Wolf in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals, where he will face Reilly Opelka. Diez entered the event as a lucky loser, losing 6-3, 6-2 to Jordan Thompson in the opening round.

In an interview with Punto de Break, Diez explained the baffling decision that cost him the victory.

"When I see the judge get down from the chair I couldn't believe it," Diez said. "I see that he approaches the service box and marks a ball one meter to the right of the real mark, the linesman corrects him and tells him what the real mark is, but he insists that it is the other one. To make matters worse, he then tells me that my rival has not made a net serve, but that he serves and then does not follow the play, that he goes directly to the mark and, therefore, I have not hit any passing (winner)."

The World No. 292 then argued that the injustice would have been given major news coverage if it had happened to a top star.

"It's not because it was my game, but I really tell you that I don't remember such an outrage," Diez said. "If this happens in a Grand Slam or with the wrong player, be it a (Rafael) Nadal, (Novak) Djokovic, (Roger) Federer or a (Nick) Kyrgios, I assure you it will be on all the news in the world. It is a real barbarity that, in addition, coincides with a match point."

Rafael Nadal will miss the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters

Rafael Nadal at the 2021 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the upcoming Monte-Carlo Masters due to a rib stress fracture he suffered in Indian Wells last month. The injury occurred during the third set of Nadal's semi-final victory over Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells.

The 35-year-old is an 11-time champion at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Monte-Carlo, with his most recent title coming in 2018. Nadal was defeated by Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals of the tournament last year.