Breaking Tradition, Wimbledon Replaces Line Judges With Technology

Wimbledon, the oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament, is bringing itself into the 21st century by implementing electronic line-calling in place of human line judges.

The All England Club recently stated that starting in 2025, technology will be used to make the “out” and “fault” calls at the championships, doing away with the necessity for human officials to do so.

The 2024 Wimbledon organizers announced that after much testing, they decided to implement live electronic line calling, which “builds on the existing ball-tracking and line-calling technology that has been in place for many years.”

The All England Club’s chief executive, Sally Bolton, stated, “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.” “It will provide the players with the same environment they have played in at several other events throughout the tour.”

With this change, the French Open is now the only Grand Slam competition devoid of electronic line-calling. There are now only chair umpires on the court at the Australian Open and U.S. Open after line judges were removed.

For the purists, line judges at Wimbledon were fixtures in the All England Club, donning their renownedly exquisite uniforms.

Bolton stated Wimbledon needed to strike a “balance between tradition and innovation.”

For many years, she said, “line umpires have been an integral part of our officiating setup at the championships. We acknowledge their invaluable contribution and are grateful for their dedication and service.”

Wimbledon and other tennis events have long employed line-calling technology to determine whether serves are in or out.

Since 2021, all courts at the U.S. Open have used Hawk-Eye Live electronic line-calling, with chair umpires serving in their place.