Wimbledon will introduce Live Electronic Line Calling, replacing human line judges, aiming for maximum accuracy in officiating. Fans and line callers express mixed feelings.
Line judges hold the role of calling “out” or “fault” during a match and their courtside projections can be the cause for celebration or anguish at often the most nail-biting moments.
Yet, after 147 years poised at the side of the court, Wimbledon has announced plans to replace its famous line judges with electronic line calling (ELC) during the tournament.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Sally Bolton, the All England Club’s Chief Executive, said: “The decision to introduce Live Electronic Line Calling at the championships was made following a significant period of consideration and consultation.”
“Having reviewed the results of the testing 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.”
However, many tennis fans and line callers themselves have expressed sadness at the automation of the role.
Although technology such as Hawk-Eye has been present at the tournament for 17 years and has the final say on all line calls, for many there was a hope the technology could coexist with human callers.
“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.” said Bolton.
She continued by saying that the moves were taken to ensure the day of the finals “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.”
The new ELC system will offer the same conditions for the players, many of whom will have experienced the system on tour.
This has been a long time coming for Wimbledon, as other international tournaments like the Australian Open and more recently in 2022, the US Open, choosing to adopt ELC systems.
With Wimbledon now on the side of automation, only the French Open remains the only Grand Slam tournament employing real-life line judges.
