Fans of sport’s most well-mannered spectacle have fallen into a bitter dispute over a dramatic revamp which marks a departure from 147 years of history.
Wimbledon announced today that its iconic line judges are to be replaced by artificial intelligence on every court at the tournament.
The Hawk-Eye Live system has been used on the tour for a number of years and was rolled out at a Grand Slam for the first time in the 2020 US Open.
It is an upgrade to the original technology, first introduced at tennis’s premier competition in 2007, which has gifted players the ability to review calls they feel to be incorrect.
Inevitably, the uprooting of one of the most quintessential features of one of sport’s most famous events has caused some controversy with fans divided on the move.
Fans of sport’s most well-mannered spectacle have fallen into a bitter dispute over a dramatic revamp
Wimbledon announced today that its iconic line judges are to be replaced by artificial intelligence
The Hawk-Eye Live system has been used on the tour for a number of years
Inevitably, the uprooting one of the most quintessential features of one of sport’s most famous events has caused some controversy
A whole host of supporters have taken to social media to back the implementation of automated electronic line calling (ELC) with some praising the forward-thinking idea.
James R Kennedy posted on X, formerly Twitter: ‘Long overdue – the standard of line calling in recent years has been utterly abysmal.’
Professor X said: ‘Tech replaces human oversight.’
Another user added: ‘Goodnews…. Line judges are outdated anyways.’
And one simply posted: ‘Love this change!’
Organisers are not believed to have come to the decision lightly, with concerns over the breaking of Wimbledon’s staunch tradition as well as the effective dismissal of dozens of line judges coming into consideration.
The competition employs more than 300 on-court officials each year to cover more than 650 matches across the fortnight.
The employees, aged between 18 and 80, work on an one-hour-on and one-hour-off basis and operate as a team.
The team of line judges take part in the presentation ceremony after Carlos Alcaraz’s 2023 win
John McEnroe (left), who is now a prominent commentator, is one of the least surprising proponents of the new technology having frequently railed against umpires’ calls
Organisers are not believed to have come to the decision lightly, with concerns over the effective dismissal of dozens of line judges coming into consideration
Some things will remain the same, however, with the chair umpire continuing to lead the officiating team
They are generally from the UK and, with a few elite exceptions, take on the work as a part-time gig along with a regular job. The officials are paid up to £180 a day.
Paired with Queen’s Club’s decision to do the same, the switch to ELC has added to mounting concerns about the pathway of officiating in this country after Australian tennis saw a decline in the number of umpires and line judges after the Australian Open brought in the technology three years ago.
And Chip Skylark took to social media, along with hordes of other objectors, to draw attention to this fact.
‘First self service tills and now this,’ they said. Computers stealing everyone’s jobs.’
Meanwhile, Matt Baker added: ‘They are quintessential Wimbledon, they may not have got the calls right sometimes, but that’s what Hawkeye is for, don’t get rid of them because of technology, get them back on the courts.’
Others took issue with the breaking of a tradition that has lasted almost a century and a half.
Miss Mac posted: ‘What’s next, AI umpire? AI players?
‘@Wimbledon, some traditions are worth standing apart for, especially when Hawkeye is in operation to cover the less than ten per cent error rate in line judging.’
A whole host of supporters have taken to social media to back the implementation of automated electronic line calling (ELC)
Matthew added: ‘Whatever happened to respecting tradition?’
And Mark Doig evoked John McEnroe’s catchphrase during the 1980s, reserved for whenever one of the line judges made a decision he disagreed with.
‘You cannot be serious!!’ he said.
McEnroe, who is now a prominent commentator, is one of the least surprising proponents of the new technology and previously said: ‘If you have equipment that’s accurate, I’m sorry, you have got to go with that.
‘Maybe I wouldn’t be talking to you now because of the antics and maybe I would have won more, but I would have been more boring.’
The existing reviews system will also now be ditched as automated voice calls can now make a decision within a tenth of a second after a ball lands out.
Several cameras will be able to track the ball’s flight throughout the rally as an additional video operator watches on in a separate room away from the court.
Some things will remain the same, however, with the chair umpire continuing to lead the officiating team out in the heart of the action, but the edges of the court will take on a decidedly quieter feel from 2025.
Hordes of objectors have pointed out the importance of tradition and line judges’ livelihoods
The move to ELC might come as a shock to devoted fans of the yearly event but, for tennis stars, the technology is familiar.
Hawk-Eye Live has gradually been installed in tournaments across the world and the men’s ATP Tour has made clear its desire to implement it in every competition from next year.
This means that the All England Club risked being left behind as technology raced into the future, burdened still with the yearly controversies over tight calls in important moments.
