“I'm pretty sure she bumped the microphone’: Jim Courier backs Matteo Berrettini after heated exchange with Umpire Louise Engzell

The Australian Open is in full swing, with many thrilling matches taking place in Melbourne. One of the biggest headlines from Day Five was Matteo Berrettini’s heated exchange with umpire Louise Engzell during his match against Holger Rune. While the contest was highly competitive, Berrettini’s frustration with the umpire cast a shadow over an otherwise great match.

Matteo Berrettini’s Outburst

It was set to be a closely fought contest between the Italian and Rune. Both players are known for putting on tremendous performances and leaving everything on the court. Their past encounters have often gone the distance, with Rune frequently emerging victorious. At his peak, Berrettini was a world-class player, once ranked in the top 10. Before the match, Rune spoke about his respect for his opponent while previewing the contest.

"Matteo is a great player. The conditions are different here, but it's the best of five sets. That's going to change a little bit,"Rune said. "We had good matches last year. In both three-set matches we played, (I) won. Tight matches and small things that made the result on my side."

The match ended with Rune securing another win over Berrettini, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3, 7-6. However, the most talked-about moment came when Berrettini claimed to have heard a noise coming from Engzell’s microphone—something the umpire denied, insisting the noise came from the crowd.

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Their exchange went as follows: Engzell: "It's not loud, loud."Berrettini: "What do you mean it's not loud? I heard it."

The incident became a significant talking point, with many weighing in on whether the umpire had indeed made an error.

A Coach’s Take

Matteo Berrettini

Jim Courier, former coach of Brad Stine, sided with Berrettini, believing the umpire had accidentally bumped the microphone. Speaking on Nine, Courier said, "I'm pretty sure she bumped the microphone." He then joked about how other players might have reacted differently.

"That was where we needed Daniil Medvedev or Andy Roddick for the ‘loud, loud’ sound; they would've jumped on that in a second. Maybe I'm wrong, but if she did bump the microphone, you’d think she would’ve said, ‘I'm sorry, I did bump the microphone. That was my fault.’ Maybe she didn’t own up to it."

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Mark Petchey also shared his thoughts, suggesting that Berrettini should have gone one step further by asking for video footage to verify the situation.

"Why didn’t Matteo request a video review and ask for the audio? I don't think she sees the video, and she puts the headphones on. I'm sure Louise would hear that noise, wherever it came from."

What’s Next for Berrettini?

Regardless of the controversy, Berrettini’s Australian Open campaign has come to an end. Despite the disappointment, he will be looking to bounce back stronger as the season progresses.

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