WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND (AP) - Ivo Karlovic accused the line judges at Wimbledon of favoring British star Andy Murray and said he felt “cheated” after they called foot-faults against the hard-serving Croat on Centre Court.
Murray beat Karlovic 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (4) Thursday, with the Croat being called for foot-faults on key points.
“I don’t know what to say, but it was a little bit outrageous,” Karlovic said. “I mean, what is this? Is it Davis Cup or is it Wimbledon? After this match, the whole credibility of this tournament went down for me.”
One foot-fault was called in the final tiebreaker, while several others were made in the later stages of games. The 6-foot-10 Karlovic said he moved his feet back further behind the baseline to avoid more foot-faults, but they kept being called.
“In my whole life, ever since I was 8 years old, whole life I didn’t do this many foot-faults. It was like 11,” he said. “So it was outrageous, outrageous. It’s Wimbledon, Centre Court, and they do this. … I feel cheated.”
Murray, from Scotland, is always backed by a raucous home crowd on Centre Court, as he carries the nation’s hopes of becoming the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.
“Right now I’m angry about it … because I don’t expect it here,” Karlovic said. “Even though it is against (a British) guy who they always want to win, but I don’t expect it here.”
Murray acknowledged there was an unusually high number of foot-faults called, but said he wasn’t sure whether they were correct.
“You can only look on the TV,” he said. “And if he wasn’t foot-faulting then he has a right to be upset, because there was a lot of them. But if he was, then you can’t do it. It’s not allowed.”
While Karlovic won the second-set tiebreaker, he said the foot-faults had a decisive effect on the final result.
“You do the calculation. If these 10 points, I win, who would have won?” he said. “You do the math.”
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