WATCH: Naomi Osaka Loses Point After Massive Mistake From Line-Calling System
News
Naomi Osaka had to overcome a controversial moment in the opening round of the 2025 Australian Open when the automatic line-calling system did not call a shot that looked to be long.
Osaka faced Caroline Garcia in the opening round of the Australian Open. It was a tough draw since the Frenchwoman defeated her at the same stage of the season's opening Grand Slam last year after an entertaining match.
There were also concerns about Osaka's fitness before the match. The four-time Grand Slam champion was forced to retire from the ASB Classic final during the first week of the season with an abdominal injury.
That was Osaka's first WTA final since her triumph at the 2021 Australian Open, making it a particularly heartbreaking setback. Clara Tauson was confirmed as the ASB Classic champion without needing to complete the match.
In a press conference before the Australian Open, Osaka admitted that her MRI scan for the issue had not gone as well as she hoped. That raised doubts about how effectively she would be able to compete against Garcia.
The former WTA world No. 1 has also managed adversity off the court. She announced a few days ago that her six-year relationship with the rapper Cordae had ended. They have a daughter together named Shai.
Osaka was then concerned for Shai's safety because of the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, where she and her family live. The 27-year-old revealed after playing Garcia that the fires had been three blocks away from her home.
Despite those background factors, Osaka produced an excellent performance in Melbourne. After three sets of powerful hitting that lived up to the pre-match hype, the Japanese star prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
Osaka needed to mentally reset after a controversial incident at 1-1 in the third set. Garcia hit a forehand that the two-time champion in Melbourne was convinced had landed out. She was visibly stunned after a call from the automatic system never came.
Although the shot did look like it could be long in real-time, it can sometimes be hard for fans to judge at full speed. There have been many examples of shots that looked out at first but actually clipped the line.
However, a replay of the shot, which can be seen below, seemed to show the ball was out. A minority of online fans tried to claim that the replay showed the ball had clipped the line, but most thought it looked clearly long.
The incident raises serious questions for the Australian Open and tennis overall since more tournaments are moving to the electronic line-calling system, which has led to hundreds of line judges losing their jobs at events since it is supposed to be more accurate.
An occasional malfunction is possible, but whether a similar incident happens during the rest of the tournament is something to watch. Repeated mistakes from a system that is supposed to cut out errors would lead to much controversy.
