Andy Murray, the No. 2 ranked men's tennis player in the world, engaged in a heated exchange with a chair umpire Saturday after he was mistakenly handed a women's ball while serving on a second-set break point.
"It's unacceptable to have one of those balls," shouted Murray, who lost the game, but eventually defeated Denis Istomin in straight sets to advance to the third round of the Miami Open.
Murray said he noticed the mix-up prior to his serve, and wondered after the match if he and Istomin were also using the faster balls during the previous rallies.
"It's quite off-putting because I just missed two balls long," Murray said, according to ESPN. "I didn't know if that was one of the balls I used in the last couple points. The women's balls are very different to the men's balls."
Tennis balls used by men include extra-duty felt to slow the overall speed, but are the same as the ones women use in size. Murray said he knew it was a women's ball because the Penn logo was in red, and not black.
"I said to (chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani), 'Say to the crowd, because I look like I'm complaining for nothing just now, and I've got the wrong ball that I'm about to serve with at break point,'" Murray said. "Yeah, he obviously didn't say anything. It's not his fault. He can't see if it's a women's ball or not. But for the player, it's obviously difficult."
The mix-up comes just days after Indian Wells CEO Raymond Moore resigned over sexist remarks made against women. Murray was among several athletes to condemn Moore's comments, as well as No. 1 ranked Novak Djokovic, who suggested men should seek more money because their matches tend to attract more fans.
