Marion Bartoli demands change after Mirra Andreeva Madrid row

Mirra Andreeva voiced her frustration to umpire Kader Nouni during her Madrid Open semi-final victory over Hailey Baptiste.

The Russian was left frustrated by a call made by the electronic line system.

She walked over to Nouni’s chair to air her grievances, but the French official told her he couldn’t overrule the decision. After the match, former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli weighed in on the incident.

Marion Bartoli calls for tennis to think of a ‘better system’ after Mirra Andreeva’s electronic line call complaint

Bartoli shared her thoughts during Sky Sports’ post-match coverage.

“I didn’t like that call, I have to say,” she said.

“Part of me reminded myself I’m not a player anymore, but when I see a massive gap between the line and the mark, from where I’m sitting, it means the ball is absolutely and definitely out, and I can understand the frustration from Mirra [Andreeva] in that moment.

“The problem is they can’t change it; they have to go with the technology calling the ball.

“I think long-term, they will maybe have to come back to the drawing board and think of a better system.”

This isn’t the first time players have voiced concerns about the technology in this tournament. World number two Elena Rybakina also questioned its accuracy during her third-round win.

Bartoli said she felt for Andreeva over this particular call but praised how she handled things mentally afterwards.

Marion Bartoli spots Conchita Martinez reaction during Mirra Andreeva’s semi-final victory

Bartoli spent much of the match focused on Andreeva’s coach, Conchita Martinez, noticing how animated she was throughout.

“I was watching Conchita [Martinez] after every single point; she couldn’t stay still,” Bartoli observed.

“Fist bumping, jumping up, I think she had all the emotions going on! But that’s why we love this sport.”

Martinez has been through plenty during this tournament as well, with Andreeva pulling off a few tight wins to reach the final.

The Russian let a 5-1 lead slip away against Anna Bondar earlier in the event and even said afterward that she didn’t see herself as a champion — comments that clearly got under Martinez’s skin.

“It’s very difficult,” Martinez admitted. “I think I even yelled at her yesterday. Luckily, I was a bit far away; I didn’t hear what she was saying, but then I saw the video…

“Being with her, encouraging her and trying to get her out of that situation is very, very difficult.”

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