Zachary Svajda’s Washington Open campaign looked to be over after losing to Cruz Hewitt in the final round of qualifying.
Cruz Hewitt, son of tennis icon Lleyton Hewitt, led Svajda, 1-6, 7-6, 2-0 when his American opponent retired from the contest.
Despite being unable to complete his match against Hewitt, Svajda is now set to compete in the Washington Open main draw.
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Svajda has entered the main draw as a lucky loser and will compete against Aleksandar Vukic in the first round.
The American’s inclusion has prompted some tennis fans to call for a revamp of the ATP’s qualification process for tournaments.
Tennis fans call for rule change after Zachary Svajda’s Washington Open inclusion
“I’m sorry, but if you can’t play out your qualifying final that should make you ineligible for a lucky loser spot,” one fan stated on X, while another added, “if a player retires from their qualifying match, they should automatically be disqualified from getting a lucky loser position.”
It does seem rather strange that a player who was unable to complete a match in the qualifying rounds is permitted to participate in the main draw.
So far, Svajda is the only lucky loser in the Washington Open main draw.
This is crazy,” one onlooker said of the matter at hand. “I think a decent rule change would be that those that retire in qualifiers are removed from lucky loser draws. Shouldn’t be a controversial change either.”
‘Professional tennis needs to add a simple qualifying rule to tournaments,” another stated, “if you retire during qualifying, you cannot make the tournament as a lucky loser.
“Svajda got injured and quit against Hewitt but ended up with a spot anyway. The current system doesn’t make any sense.”
Not every tennis fan held the same opinion.
“Can’t blame the players,” a fan noted on social media. “They have every right to do things that work in the system.”
This commenter is absolutely correct: Svajda should not be blamed for his role in such a matter.
The American has simply been rewarded for his efforts in Washington, despite retiring in the final qualifying round.
Of course, it is rather odd that he is able to compete in the main draw after being unable to complete his final round of qualifying.
However, Svajda has not broken any rules, nor has he committed some irredeemable sin. He has simply worked within the confines of the ATP circuit’s rules.
Bernard Tomic has also benefited from the ATP’s rules
Tomic, the former Wimbledon quarterfinalist who recently won his first ATP title for eight years, has also benefited from the ATP’s lucky loser infrastructure.
Tomic, from Australia, did not compete in the final round of Los Cabos qualifying – handing America’s Tristan Boyer a walkover.
Despite Tomic’s withdrawal from the qualifying event, he – like Svajda in Washington – is set to compete in the Los Cabos main draw.
This situation is even more absurd than Svajda’s, as Tomic did not even take to the court in the final round of qualifying.
Tomic’s good fortune means he will play qualifier Alex Hernandez in the first round of the main draw.
Hernandez, ranked 498th on the circuit, defeated Garrett Johns and compatriot Alan Magadan to advance to the main draw in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur.
