Novak Djokovic says chair umpires should be held to the same standard as players and face fines for major mistakes on court.
Djokovic, who served as ATP Player Council president since 2016, says chair umpires understandably make mistakes but should be accountable if they make a major error that "changes the course of the match."
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"Look, they are all human beings, as well," Djokovic told the media at Laver Cup. "We have to understand that they can't always be at their best, although I have to, you know, kind of stay on the players' side and I fully agree with players when they say that if we make some mistake, so to say, whether we violate certain rules verbally or in any way break a racquet or whatever that is, we get warning. We get fined by the event a significant sum of money.
"So that's what players, in general and that I have been noticing, have been saying, you know, that the officials should also be responsible for their action and they should also get fined, you know, if they make a big mistake that changes the course of the match. That, I agree with, although I have to also try to be empathetic and understand them, that they always are in the position where two players are kind of coming at them."
Chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani was suspended for two tournaments without pay for giving a pep talk to Nick Kyrgios during the Aussie's US Open victory over Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
Serena Williams was fined a total of $17,000 for her behavior during the US Open final, which included smashing a racquet and berating chair umpire Carlos Ramos "a thief" who "stole" a point from the 23-time Grand Slam champion during her straight-sets loss to Naomi Osaka.
While Djokovic suggested Lahyani's two-tournament penalty was "maybe a bit too harsh," he also said the fact an umpire was penalized should satisfy players.
"Obviously whether I think it's too harsh, I don't know. Maybe," Djokovic said of Lahyani. "Maybe two events without pay is maybe a bit too much. But at the same time, there should be, you know, kind of action upon the responsibilities and deeds from, in this particular case, Mohamed or officials.
"So the authorities there are there to, you know, supervise, judge, and evaluate and make decisions. I think that the players will be happy not because they will be happy that Mohamed was fined and sanctioned in that way, but just be happy that in general there is some kind of a form of a fine that is implemented in this particular case, because then, you know, it makes them believe that it's both ways, you know, that it's not only for players but also for officials."
Photo credit: Christopher Levy