Wimbledon will replace line judges with automated electronic line calling (ELC) from 2025, marking the end of a 147-year tradition at the All England Club (AELTC).
In a statement on Wednesday, the AELTC said: “The decision to adopt Live ELC was made following the successful completion of extensive testing during this year’s Championships and builds on the existing ball tracking and line calling technology that has been in place for many years.”
Wimbledon has made the decision after being convinced of ELC’s greater efficiency, compared to its extant system, in which line judges are supported by a challenge system using Hawk-Eye technology.
ELC, powered by artificial intelligence, has become more prominent at tennis tournaments since its introduction at the 2020 U.S. Open. Then, its primary intention was to reduce the number of people on court during the Covid-19 pandemic, but it has since been adopted as a more efficient and statistically accurate system of calling lines.
ELC is in use at the U.S. Open and Australian Open, and from next year will be in use at all ATP events on the main tour. It is generally preferred by players, who can ordinarily rely on the technology without having to be involved in the officiating of their matches — or worrying about the need to return a marginal ball over the net.
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At last year’s Wimbledon, Andy Murray was on the wrong end of a call in the closing stages of his second-round match against Stefanos Tsitsipas. Had ELC been in place, Murray’s return of the Greek’s serve would have been called in at 15-30, 4-4. Murray, who had dragged Tsitsipas wide, would have had a chance to win the point and move to 15-40, with two break points to then serve at 5-4 up in the final set. Instead the shot was called out, he did not challenge and lost the game and then the match soon after.
“Right now I obviously would rather it was done automatically,” Murray said when it was revealed to him that his shot had been wrongly called out. “It’s a hard one because I probably prefer having the lines judges on the court.
“It feels nicer to me. I think the crowd quite like the challenges. I think for TV, they probably quite like it. But when mistakes are getting made in important moments, obviously as a player you don’t want that.”
This was the dilemma Wimbledon faced. They were desperate not to have to part with the 300 line judges they use each year and felt that the distinctly-dressed staff were an important part of the on-court aesthetic.
Ultimately the belief that ELC would make for a superior product won out. There is no doubt that the use of Hawk-Eye at Wimbledon since 2007 has been a big success and led to better officiating.
“The decision to introduce Live Electronic Line Calling at The Championships was made following a significant period of consideration and consultation,” said the AELTC chief executive Sally Bolton.
Wimbledon had used line judges for 147 years. (Simon Bruty / Anychance via Getty Images)
“Having reviewed the results of the testing undertaken at The Championships this year, we consider the technology to be sufficiently robust and the time is right to take this important step in seeking maximum accuracy in our officiating. For the players, it will offer them the same conditions they have played under at a number of other events on tour.
“We take our responsibility to balance tradition and innovation at Wimbledon very seriously. Line umpires have played a central role in our officiating set-up at The Championships for many decades and we recognise their valuable contribution and thank them for their commitment and service.”
The decision comes at a pertinent time, with a number of arguments taking place between players and umpires at the Shanghai Masters which is taking place this week. Frances Tiafoe, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas have all berated umpires over what they felt were incorrect calls over the last 24 hours — though none of these were to do with calls of in or out that ELC deals with.
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In another break from tradition, the AELTC revealed on Wednesday that from next year the women’s and men’s finals will take place at 4 p.m. rather than 2 p.m. Both will be preceded by a doubles final at 1 p.m.
“The doubles players competing in the finals will have increased certainty over their schedule and fans will enjoy each day’s play as it builds towards the crescendo of the ladies’ and gentlemen’s singles finals, with our champions being crowned in front of the largest possible worldwide audience,” Bolton said.
(Top photo: Sebastien Bozon / AFP via Getty Images)