Eliminated in the round of 32 of the Bordeaux P2 tournament alongside Lucía Sainz, Jana Montes reflected on one of the day's defining moments. Following her strong reaction to a controversial refereeing decision, the Spaniard acknowledged her mistake while also criticizing the limitations of the video replay protocol. Premier Padel. 

A match point that turns the game around

The duel between  Jana Montes / Lucía Sainz  et  Alix Collombon / Ksenia Sharifova  lived up to all its promises. After two shared first sets, everything came down to a breathless third set, which ended in a tie-break in favor of the Franco-Russian pair (6/2 5/7 7/6).

But just moments before, an action completely changed the course of the match.

At 5-4 in the third set, Montes and Sainz had a match point. During a defensive rally by Lucía Sainz, the Spanish players ruled that the ball touched the court first before the fence, while  Collombon and Sharifova call the ball out The arbitrator confirms this decision.

The problem? The Spanish pair no longer had a video request available and therefore could no longer contest the decision.

Instead of closing out the match, Montes and Sainz saw their opponents come back, save several match points and then prevail at the end of the decisive tie-break.

Alix Collombon: "I have never cheated on the field and I won't start today."

A heated outburst on the court

Visibly upset, Jana Montes immediately turned to the chair umpire to contest the decision. The cameras captured her confusion.

"You make a decision like that on match point? What can you see from here? It's impossible. I hope you're sanctioned like we're being sanctioned."

The Spanish woman also addressed Alix Collombon, repeating:

"You know the shot was good. You know that."

Another image that caused a stir: at the end of the match, Montes left the court without acknowledging his opponents at the net, a sequence widely shared on social media.

Apologies… but also criticism of the system

Twenty-four hours later, the Girona player published an apology, acknowledging that her reaction had gone beyond what she meant.

"The first thing I want to do is apologize for my reaction at the end of the match. I'm not proud of leaving the field without acknowledging my opponents. These were moments of great tension and frustration, but that doesn't justify my attitude."

However, Jana Montes believes that the referee should have used the means at his disposal on such a decisive action.

“On such an important match point, I would have liked the umpire to be sure of his decision. The rules allow him to request a video review when he doesn't have a clear view of the action. In a situation like that, with a match point in our favor, it would have been the fairest decision. I think the result could have been different.”

Arbitration remains at the heart of the discussions

This new controversy comes just days after the incident of  Valladolid P2 where a decision related to the use of video had already sparked numerous reactions.

During the semi-final between  Giulia Dal Pozzo  et  Nuria Rodríguez The request for video review had been refused by the referee, who considered that Dal Pozzo had continued the exchange after the disputed action, which prevented any review according to his interpretation of the rules.

The two situations are different from a regulatory point of view, but they both contribute to the same discussion:  The operation of the video system and its application by referees continue to be debated on Premier Padel .

In the space of a week, two decisions taken at crucial moments have reignited questions from players and observers alike about the current limitations of the video review protocol.

Maceo ZERHAT

Maceo Zerhat discovered padel in 2020 in Savigny-sur-Clairis, Burgundy. He contributed to the club's expansion by bringing his energy and curiosity. Padel Magazinehe transmits his Padel"mania" by skillfully bouncing on all the latest news about your favorite sport!

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