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Wimbledon to Replace Line Judges with Electronic Systems in 2025

The Wimbledon Championships, known for being the pinnacle of professional tennis, has announced a significant transformation for its 2025 tournament: the event will discontinue the use of human line judges and will adopt an electronic line-calling system (ELC) instead. This decision marks a pivotal shift in a tradition that has remained untouched for 147 years.

This move aligns with a broader trend in tennis towards the use of technology to assist officiating. According to The Times of London, the change is part of a wider initiative within the sport, particularly following the Association of Tennis Professionals’ (ATP) recent declaration that all its events would transition to electronic line calls. Currently, two of the four Grand Slams have adopted this technology, leaving the French Open as the last major tournament still relying on traditional line judges.

Historically, each match at Wimbledon was overseen by as many as nine line judges, tasked with accurately calling whether balls landed in or out within their designated areas. The same source notes that during the two-week event, roughly 300 judges were employed to manage over 600 matches. However, the introduction of ELC is not necessarily a signal to decrease staffing; the new system will still require extensive human oversight, albeit in a different capacity. Proponents of ELC argue that it enhances the precision of line calls, a sentiment generally agreed upon by most players, with notable exceptions such as Jelena Ostapenko expressing skepticism.

The history of electronic line calling in tennis can be traced back to the introduction of Hawk-Eye Live, a system that employs multiple cameras to track the landing of the ball, ensuring accurate calls based on trajectory. Initially, Hawk-Eye served primarily as a broadcast tool, enhancing viewer experience rather than acting as an official guideline. However, a notorious incident during the 2004 US Open—a match between Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati—exposed major inaccuracies in officiating. This motivated authorities to allow players the option to challenge line calls using the Hawk-Eye system, which has since evolved to provide automated calls at tournaments like the US Open, where players no longer need to request its intervention.

Electronic line-calling systems not only capture extensive data about ball movement at an impressive 70 frames per second but also track player movements, which is beneficial for both broadcasters and players for performance analysis. Furthermore, there is a growing market for selling this data to sports betting companies, generating additional revenue streams. The ATP reportedly receives substantial income from licensing this tracking data, equivalent to earnings from its broadcast rights, and Wimbledon stands to gain significantly as it makes the transition to the ELC system.

As a tennis enthusiast, there is a certain nostalgia associated with the challenge aspect of the game, where players could contest a call, leading to dramatic moments heightened by suspense. The process of summoning Hawk-Eye to resolve contentious calls added an element of excitement, influencing the match’s outcome dramatically. Such engagement remains prevalent in other sports—consider the thrill when an NFL coach throws a red challenge flag over a controversial catch, an instance that taps into deep-rooted competitive spirit and suspense.

Nevertheless, the rigid nature of tennis calls—where a ball is classified strictly as either in or out—contrasts with the more ambiguous criteria often found in other sports. As the sport embraces technological advancements to refine its officiating, the role of traditional line judges will fade into history.

Source
www.theverge.com