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Then, of course, we have scenarios such as that involving Serena Williams at the 2011 US Open where players grunt during the point and are subsequently told by the umpire that they are losing the point due to hindrance. For me that's an area where there is too much discrepancy; until they develop a 'grunt-o-meter' you are reliant on umpires' discretion, which can be a grey area. What is certain is that more and more people are talking about this issue; that's hardly surprising, really, because when the noise does reach a ridiculous level it does spoil the enjoyment of watching the match.
A GREAT JO O2 SHOW?I'm a massive Tsonga fan and desperately wanted to him win last year's final. Have you seen anything about him this year to suggest that he could go one better next week - that would be amazing. Adam, Luton
ANNABEL: He's so flamboyant and exciting, Adam, that I always find him a joy to watch and a joy to interview too. I think he's had a pretty consistent season but there are always moments in a match when you don't have a clue what he's going to do next. This is a fascinating stage of his career because we're all scrutinising his game, trying to work out how it will develop with Roger Rasheed as his coach. What is Roger going to bring to his game? Perhaps we'll get a few clues in London but I have to say it is going to be a tough ask to match what he achieved at the O2 last year.
PLAYERS POORLY SERVEDHi Annabel, I have a question with regards to Tennis as a whole. Do you think the Challenge system has exposed a particular rule as being unfair? It's when a Challenge has been made on a 2nd serve. If the challenge is successful, the umpire follows the rulebook and demands they replay the point. This is grossly unfair on the returner. Why should the server, get given back the first serve that went into the net, just because a line judge made an error on the 2nd serve? If the server makes a fault on the 1st serve, that should be it, it's only 2nd serves from that moment on, regardless of any mistakes by officials. The reason I referred to the Challenge system, is because Hawk-Eye has highlighted this ridiculous rule more than ever before, due to the number of replayed points these days. Thank You, Darren Dixon
ANNABEL: Darren, I have to say you make a really good point. What I would say is that the scenario you describe is not fair on the server either, primarily because the whole process causes too much delay and if there's any hindrance to a player's routine, you will be given a first serve.
MATTER OF TIMINGHi Annabel, I'm a tennis player from NZ now living in London. You may remember two NZ tennis players - Kelly Evernden and Chris Lewis - I grew up watching them. Here's a question for you: Tennis has led the way in using technology to ensure the right calls are made more consistently. One area that needs to be improved is in the time taken by players to make a challenge. Some players take too long and Del Potro has been guilty of this in the past. What is the rule regarding the time available to make a challenge? Is the ATP looking to tighten up on this rule? Where do you stand on this issue? Thank you for your time. All the best. Alfred Mani
ANNABEL: At present the length of time you have to make a challenge is at the umpire's discretion. I don't like that at all - and that's because, Alfred, I saw one of the worst decisions I've ever seen in all my years of playing and watching tennis at this year's Australian Open when David Nalbandian was not allowed to challenge a point in his marathon match against John Isner.
After playing in the heat for several hours, the match was at a crucial stage at 8-8 in the fifth and deciding set when John served an ace that was rightly called out by a line judge; the umpire over-ruled it only for Hawk-Eye to show that the line judge had got it right. The crowd went nuts and as Nalbandian walked forward he clearly couldn't hear the umpire properly because of the noise; when he got close enough, umpire umpire Kader Nouni told him 'I've over-ruled it, it's a point to Isner'. So at that point David obviously decided to challenge only to be told it was too late! I couldn't believe it!
It's clear from watching the Paris Masters this week that things have moved on because I've seen player will walk up to the line, see if there's a mark, maybe look at their camp and then decide if they are going to challenge or not. In fact this week, I've seen Nouni give a player a considerable amount of time to decide what to do - so quite why he didn't allow Nalbandian the same option in the fifth in Australia is quite beyond me. To answer your question, Alfred, I would really like to see this area of the game tightened up.
MATTER OF TIMING Annabel - always enjoy watching you on TV. Keep up the good work. I'm sure there have been many but I just wondered what has been your highlight of the whole season so far? Edward Brown, London
ANNABEL: There have been many highlights, Edward, but one was truly outstanding in my mind and that was Andy winning the US Open. It was such a significant moment in the history of our sport, partly because British tennis had waited 76 years for a Slam winner! It was an extraordinary achievement.
I have to mention the Shanghai Masters final too, when Andy had five match points against Djokovic but ended up losing. I was glued to my television for the entirety of the match; it was certainly one of the best matches of the season because it contained so much drama and you were never quite sure which way it was going to go. Andy and Novak seem to bring the best out of each other, forcing them to raise their levels, and long may that continue! I can see their rivalry escalating to new levels next year.
