'I've been hooked': how shady line calls cloud practice games

Raducanu, Stephens and others on the perils of trusting rivals to make fair calls in umpire-free sessions

- Tumaini Carayol

During a calm, quiet afternoon in the buildup to Wimbledon last year, the former US Open champion Sloane Stephens was working on her game in a practice set against another player when her opponent's mood suddenly soured. Stephens prides herself on her integrity and, having contested hundreds of practice matches over the years, she says she always veers on the side of caution when charged with calling her own lines. Only when she is certain there is a clear gap between the ball and line does she call an opponent's shot out.

Halfway through the set, Stephens believed her opponent had missed a second serve and called a double fault. "She thought I cheated her in the practice," says Stephens. "I didn't know this happened during the practice. I was like: 'Second serve out, double fault.' Apparently, she looked back at her coach in disgust."

Stephens was reflecting that evening with her mother, Sybil, and her coach, Kamau Murray, when the discussion turned to the double fault. Her mother and coach agreed they had seen chalk fly up after the second serve: "They said it wasn't a double fault. I was like: 'That's why she was so mad at me. During the practice I said to them: 'I think she's having a bad day.' No, she legit thought I cheated her."

Stephens quickly made amends with the player but her experience highlighted one of the more unique aspects of the tour. Players usually train with the same opponents they battle for prize money and prestige on the court. With no umpires or linespeople present during training, those players are charged with calling their own lines. Not everyone believes their rivals can be trusted to make fair calls.