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Bangkok Post
a day ago
- Sport
- Bangkok Post
New-look Wimbledon prepares for life without line judges
LONDON - Wimbledon is guaranteed to be picture-perfect when it gets under way next week but the courts will never look the same again after the demise of line judges. For the first time in the tournament's storied 148-year history, the men and women stationed at the back of the courts, calling "out" and "fault", will be missing. The Grand Slam announced in October that it was scrapping its smartly dressed officials in favour of electronic line-calling (ELC) from 2025, following the general trend in tennis. The Australian Open and the US Open have already gone down this route, leaving the French Open as the only one of the four Grand Slams still to use humans in the role. Wimbledon is cherished for its traditions, from the white kit worn by players to the strawberries and cream served to fans and the sumptuous flowers that colour the grounds. But the All England Club must balance that unique heritage with innovation. Tournament director Jamie Baker emphasised the point in an interview with AFP this week. "We are very much plugged into the wider tennis ecosystem, the wider tennis industry, on everything that we do," said the former professional player. "And this was something that we've been talking about for many years, because we could see the way that it was going. "And as you would imagine, for us, balancing the tradition with innovation is really a thing that we look at in pretty much every single decision we make." Baker emphasises that Wimbledon is careful to protect its heritage, including the "untouchable" white clothing rule, which he says is observed more strictly now than two decades ago. Competition integrity But the former British number two said the integrity of the competition was the most important element. "First and foremost for us here, we've got to get the competition aspects right, he said. "That's such an important part of everything. "And player expectation now, across the professional game at the highest level, is that the lines will be called in this way." Baker believes the people who will least notice the change are the players, who are so used to the technology. The decision to switch to live ELC, which builds on existing ball-tracking and line-calling technology, was made following extensive testing at last year's Championships. Since 2007, Hawk-Eye has assisted officials at Wimbledon on certain courts, with players able to challenge a number of calls. Its introduction added a new element for spectators. There was a buzz of excitement when the umpire signalled a video replay of a line judge's decision, followed by rhythmic clapping as it was shown on the big screen. More than 450 cameras have been installed at Wimbledon and at the qualifying tournament in nearby Roehampton this year, with machines making the decisions previously made by humans. But around 80 former officials will be employed as match assistants, with two on each court offering support to the umpire, while they will also provide back-up should the electronic system fail. So does the demise of line judges remove a bit of Wimbledon's magic? Baker thinks the opposite. "I think that's a massive positive move for us in terms of the actual look and feel of the court and the recognisable Wimbledon brand, which is green grass courts, players wearing white tennis clothes -- it's instantly recognisable," he said. "So the more emphasis that's on that, the better. But also, just if you get back to the very nature of the sport itself, it's gladiatorial, it's one-on-one, everything that happens on the stage should be focused around that."
The Hindu
a day ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
New-look Wimbledon prepares for life without line judges as electronic line-calling takes over
Wimbledon is guaranteed to be picture-perfect when it gets under way next week but the courts will never look the same again after the demise of line judges. For the first time in the tournament's storied 148-year history, the men and women stationed at the back of the courts, calling 'out' and 'fault', will be missing. The Grand Slam announced in October that it was scrapping its smartly dressed officials in favour of electronic line-calling (ELC) from 2025, following the general trend in tennis. The Australian Open and the U.S. Open have already gone down this route, leaving the French Open as the only one of the four Grand Slams still to use humans in the role. Wimbledon is cherished for its traditions, from the white kit worn by players to the strawberries and cream served to fans and the sumptuous flowers that colour the grounds. But the All England Club must balance that unique heritage with innovation. Tournament director Jamie Baker emphasised the point in an interview with AFP this week. 'We are very much plugged into the wider tennis ecosystem, the wider tennis industry, on everything that we do,' said the former professional player. 'And this was something that we've been talking about for many years, because we could see the way that it was going. 'And as you would imagine, for us, balancing the tradition with innovation is really a thing that we look at in pretty much every single decision we make.' Baker emphasises that Wimbledon is careful to protect its heritage, including the 'untouchable' white clothing rule, which he says is observed more strictly now than two decades ago. Competition integrity But the former British number two said the integrity of the competition was the most important element. 'First and foremost for us here, we've got to get the competition aspects right, he said. 'That's such an important part of everything. 'And player expectation now, across the professional game at the highest level, is that the lines will be called in this way.' Baker believes the people who will least notice the change are the players, who are so used to the technology. Switching to electronic line-calling The decision to switch to live ELC, which builds on existing ball-tracking and line-calling technology, was made following extensive testing at last year's Championships. Since 2007, Hawk-Eye has assisted officials at Wimbledon on certain courts, with players able to challenge a number of calls. Its introduction added a new element for spectators. There was a buzz of excitement when the umpire signalled a video replay of a line judge's decision, followed by rhythmic clapping as it was shown on the big screen. More than 450 cameras have been installed at Wimbledon and at the qualifying tournament in nearby Roehampton this year, with machines making the decisions previously made by humans. But around 80 former officials will be employed as match assistants, with two on each court offering support to the umpire, while they will also provide back-up should the electronic system fail. So does the demise of line judges remove a bit of Wimbledon's magic? Baker thinks the opposite. 'I think that's a massive positive move for us in terms of the actual look and feel of the court and the recognisable Wimbledon brand, which is green grass courts, players wearing white tennis clothes — it's instantly recognisable,' he said. 'So the more emphasis that's on that, the better. But also, just if you get back to the very nature of the sport itself, it's gladiatorial, it's one-on-one, everything that happens on the stage should be focused around that.'
TimesLIVE
a day ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Wimbledon's human touch yields to electronic eyes
The All England Club's decision to jettison line judges in favour of technology carries an air of inevitability as the world embraces artificial intelligence, but the human arbiters of the boundaries of the tennis court are hoping to continue playing a key role. Convention has almost been a religion during Wimbledon's 148-year history but advancements in technology have been impossible to resist, with live electronic line calling (ELC) set to take over from impeccably attired line judges when action begins at the grass court major on Monday. The tournament's once robust pool of about 300 line judges has been cut to 80 and they will serve as 'match assistants', who support chair umpires and step in should the ELC — powered by more than 450 cameras — fail in any of the 18 courts in use. The Association of British Tennis Officials (Abto) said the new position, which will be adopted at events that use live ELC, provided a fresh avenue for its officials with strong interest expressed in the role. 'While this evolution has resulted in a reduction in the officiating days for line umpires, the effect has been partially offset by the creation of the match assistant position,' the Abto told Reuters via e-mail.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Wimbledon's human touch yields to electronic eyes but officials embrace new role
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 4, 2024 Line judge is pictured during the second round match between Madison Keys of the U.S. and China's Wang Yafan REUTERS/Matthew Childs/File Photo BENGALURU - The All England Club's decision to jettison line judges in favour of technology carries an air of inevitability as the world embraces AI but the human arbiters of the boundaries of the tennis court are hoping to continue playing a key role. Convention has almost been a religion during Wimbledon's 148-year history but advancements in technology have been impossible to resist with live Electronic Line Calling (ELC) set to take over from impeccably-attired line judges when action begins at the grasscourt major on Monday. The tournament's once-robust pool of around 300 line judges has been cut to 80 and they will serve as "match assistants", who support chair umpires and step in should the ELC - powered by more than 450 cameras - fail in any of the 18 courts in use. The Association of British Tennis Officials (ABTO) said the new position, which will be adopted at events that use live ELC, provided a fresh avenue for its officials with strong interest expressed in the role. "Whilst this evolution has resulted in a reduction in the overall officiating days for line umpires, the impact has been partially offset by the creation of the match assistant position," the ABTO told Reuters via email. The body noted that although line judges will no longer be used at Wimbledon or ATP tournaments, there were still opportunities for them at other levels including at many WTA events and ITF World Tennis Tour tournaments. Interest in the traditional role is likely to be sustained with the pathway to becoming a match assistant on the grandest stage involving training as line umpires. First deployed as an experiment at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan in 2017, the ELC system was adopted more widely during the COVID-19 pandemic before eventually being used across all ATP Tour events from this year. The Australian Open and U.S. Open have also replaced line judges with ELC, but the French Open has not favoured the switch despite the availability of technology specific to claycourts as traces left by the ball help umpires with their decision-making. LARGELY POPULAR The ELC system is largely popular among the players even if some, including world number one Aryna Sabalenka and three-times Grand Slam finalist Alexander Zverev, expressed their disbelief at decisions during the recent claycourt season. Tournaments relying on the human eye are not entirely immune to controversial calls, however, and the All England Club's move that comes after extensive testing last year is likely to only ruffle the feathers of the most staunch traditionalists. Britain's Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) said it understood the decision amid changes to officiating globally and expressed its commitment to continue developing officials in the country going forward. "We are working with the ABTO to develop a joint strategy that will ensure officials can be retained within the sport, new officials can be recruited and the officiating community will be supported through the changes," the LTA said. Line judges often bring their own theatrical element to the sport with their distinctive voices, postures, and interactions with players but All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton said many of them understood that change would come. "The time is right for us to move on," said Bolton. "We absolutely value the commitment that those line umpires have provided to the Championships over many years. "We do have a significant number of them coming back in a new role ... so we're really pleased to have many of them still involved with delivering the Championships." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
a day ago
- Sport
- The Star
Tennis-Wimbledon's human touch yields to electronic eyes but officials embrace new role
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 4, 2024 Line judge is pictured during the second round match between Madison Keys of the U.S. and China's Wang Yafan REUTERS/Matthew Childs/File Photo BENGALURU (Reuters) -The All England Club's decision to jettison line judges in favour of technology carries an air of inevitability as the world embraces AI but the human arbiters of the boundaries of the tennis court are hoping to continue playing a key role. Convention has almost been a religion during Wimbledon's 148-year history but advancements in technology have been impossible to resist with live Electronic Line Calling (ELC) set to take over from impeccably-attired line judges when action begins at the grasscourt major on Monday. The tournament's once-robust pool of around 300 line judges has been cut to 80 and they will serve as "match assistants", who support chair umpires and step in should the ELC - powered by more than 450 cameras - fail in any of the 18 courts in use. The Association of British Tennis Officials (ABTO) said the new position, which will be adopted at events that use live ELC, provided a fresh avenue for its officials with strong interest expressed in the role. "Whilst this evolution has resulted in a reduction in the overall officiating days for line umpires, the impact has been partially offset by the creation of the match assistant position," the ABTO told Reuters via email. The body noted that although line judges will no longer be used at Wimbledon or ATP tournaments, there were still opportunities for them at other levels including at many WTA events and ITF World Tennis Tour tournaments. Interest in the traditional role is likely to be sustained with the pathway to becoming a match assistant on the grandest stage involving training as line umpires. First deployed as an experiment at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan in 2017, the ELC system was adopted more widely during the COVID-19 pandemic before eventually being used across all ATP Tour events from this year. The Australian Open and U.S. Open have also replaced line judges with ELC, but the French Open has not favoured the switch despite the availability of technology specific to claycourts as traces left by the ball help umpires with their decision-making. LARGELY POPULAR The ELC system is largely popular among the players even if some, including world number one Aryna Sabalenka and three-times Grand Slam finalist Alexander Zverev, expressed their disbelief at decisions during the recent claycourt season. Tournaments relying on the human eye are not entirely immune to controversial calls, however, and the All England Club's move that comes after extensive testing last year is likely to only ruffle the feathers of the most staunch traditionalists. Britain's Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) said it understood the decision amid changes to officiating globally and expressed its commitment to continue developing officials in the country going forward. "We are working with the ABTO to develop a joint strategy that will ensure officials can be retained within the sport, new officials can be recruited and the officiating community will be supported through the changes," the LTA said. Line judges often bring their own theatrical element to the sport with their distinctive voices, postures, and interactions with players but All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton said many of them understood that change would come. "The time is right for us to move on," said Bolton. "We absolutely value the commitment that those line umpires have provided to the Championships over many years. "We do have a significant number of them coming back in a new role ... so we're really pleased to have many of them still involved with delivering the Championships." (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
