London: Agnieszka Radwanska paid the ultimate price for following the orders of her coaching team rather than relying on her own instincts in the final game of her Wimbledon semi-final against Garbine Muguruza on Thursday.
With her Spanish opponent serving for the match at 6-2 3-6 5-3 and two points from victory at 40-40, Radwanska inexplicably stopped the next point mid-rally after hearing cries of "out, out" from people in her players` box who were convinced Muguruza`s backhand had landed behind the baseline.
Radwanska hit the ball back over the net before calling out to the umpire for a late Hawk-Eye challenge as the Spaniard hit her next shot out, leaving Muguruza and the Centre Court crowd bewildered and wondering what was going on.
When Hawk-Eye showed its verdict there was no mistaking that the gamble had backfired -- the ball had clipped the baseline.
Radwanska glared up at her coaching team with Muguruza one point away from reaching her debut grand slam final and a point later it was all over.
"I did it because I`m the one to decide if I challenge or not. Nobody can do that for me," the 2012 Wimbledon runner-up said when pressed on the blunder at a news conference.
"It was 50/50 call. I decided to challenge. It wasn`t a really good decision."
Despite Radwanska`s attempt to play down the incident, Muguruza shared the view of everyone in the crowd that she had been influenced to make the call.
"I heard some people saying `out, out` I was just praying the ball was on the line," the 21-year-old grinned holding aloft crossed fingers.
Former champion Lindsay Davenport summed up Radwanska`s predicament after the Pole missed out on a place in her second Wimbledon final.
"It`s interesting Radwanska stopped play as her box called it out and it was in -- she was not happy," said the American.