Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper slam Wimbledon changes after contentious decision
Wimbledon chiefs have been left red-faced after their controversial decision to axe human line judges in favour of an AI-assisted version was questioned by Britain's two top players.
The All England Club decided back in October to scrap line judges, with 300 losing their jobs for the 2025 edition of the Grand Slam. Instead, line calls at Wimbledon this year have been made by Live Electronic Line Calling from HawkEye, with players now unable to challenge decisions.
While the Australian Open and US Open already use the technology and the ATP Tour has also embraced it, Wimbledon's call to do away with 147 years of tradition has caused much debate. Many view the move as a shame because it erodes what is special about the tournament, but there have also been a growing number of players questioning the accuracy of the technology.
British No.1 Emma Raducanu was knocked out of the competition in the third round by Aryna Sabalenka after an enthralling match on Centre Court on Friday night. And her comments about the line calling won't have been welcomed by Wimbledon chiefs.
'Yeah, I mean, that call was, like, for sure out,' she said in her press conference. 'It's kind of disappointing, the tournament here, that the calls can be so wrong, but for the most part they've been okay.
'It's just, like, I've had a few in my other matches, too, that have been very wrong. So yeah, I don't know. Hopefully they can kind of fix that.'
Jack Draper made similar comments after crashing out of Wimbledon in the second round against Marin Cilic. The British No.1 had been seen remonstrating with the chair umpire about a particular ace call in Cilic's favour and explained his unhappiness post-match.
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'Yeah, I don't think it's 100 per cent accurate, in all honesty,' he said. 'A couple of the ones today, it showed, like, a mark on the court. There's no way the chalk would have showed.
'I guess it can't be 100 per cent accurate. It's millimeters. It's for both ways. I think it's a shame, tradition that the umpires aren't involved. It's obviously something that makes it easier for the players because we don't have to worry about line calls.'
Meanwhile, during his third round win over Jan-Lennard Struff, world No.2 Alcaraz told the umpire: "I'm not sure about it. I would have asked for a challenge. It's not the first time I've seen the machine… it's not the first time. I'm not sure about some calls."
Wimbledon tournament director Jamie Baker defended the system on Friday. "The concept of live line calling is absolutely standard across the tour now," he told reporters. "Two of the other Grand Slams have had it for four or five years.
"The accuracy and the reliability and the robustness of the system and the process as a whole, in terms of officiating, is in as good a place as it has been for tennis."
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