Wimbledon replaces line judges with 'Hawk-Eye' technology

Starting next year, tennis players at Wimbledon will compete without line judges. The organizers of the tournament, one of the four Grand Slams, announced that there will now be Live Electronic Line Calling (ELC), a system that rules when a ball is in or out in less than a tenth of a second.

Through a statement, Wimbledon made the decision to use ELC to make umpiring as effective as possible and after seeing how well it has worked in other tournaments.

"The decision to introduce Live Electronic Line Calling at The Championships was made following a significant period of consideration and consultation," said Sally Bolton, chief executive of the All England Club. "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."

With the arrival of the ELC, Wimbledon will no longer employ around 300 line judges who previously ruled whether balls were in or out. "Line umpires have played a central role in our officiating set-up at The Championships for many decades and we recogni[z]e their valuable contribution and thank them for their commitment and service," Bolton said, without directly mentioning that they are out of a job.

This technology, which is an evolution of what is known as "Hawk-Eye," will no longer allow tennis players to request reviews in their matches.

Wimbledon is the third Grand Slam to employ this technology, following the U.S. Open and the Australian Open. For the moment, the French Open has refused to incorporate it into the tournament.

Final to be rescheduled

In order to allow American viewers to enjoy the tournament without having to get up so early, Wimbledon decided to change the times of both the men's and women's finals.

Starting with the next edition of the tournament, the men's singles final will be played on Sunday at 11 a.m. EST, while the women's singles final will be played at the same time on Saturday.

"We have adjusted the provisional schedule for the final weekend of The Championships with the ambition of improving the experience for all involved. 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.

Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz is the reigning Wimbledon men's singles champion after defeating Serbia's Novak Djokovic in three sets (6-2, 6-2, 7-6). Czech player Barbora Krejcikova defeated Italy's Jasmine Paolini in three sets (6-2, 2-6 and 6-4) in the women's singles final.