Wimbledon to replace tennis line judges with electronic system from 2025

From next year, line judges will disappear from Wimbledon as the All England Club adopts electronic line calling.

Wimbledon will break with tradition and replace line judges with electronic line calling from next year’s championships, the All England Club confirmed.

The sight of immaculately dressed line judges standing or crouching at the side and back of the grass courts has been a feature at the Grand Slam for 147 years.

Electronic line calling was first used as an experiment at the ATP Next Gen Finals in Milan in 2017 and was adopted more widely during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be used on all courts across ATP Tour events from 2025.

The Australian Open and US Open have already replaced line judges with electronic calling although the French Open still relies on the human eye.

Wimbledon said the Hawk Eye Live Electronic Line Calling (Live ELC) will also be used across the qualifying tournament.

“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,” All England Lawn Tennis Club chief executive Sally Bolton said in a statement on Wednesday.

“For the players, it will offer them the same conditions they have played under at a number of other events on tour.”

While popular with players, the decision will sadden traditionalists and likely mean the end of the arguments over line calls that are part of Wimbledon folklore, largely because of the antics of former champion John McEnroe who famously railed against the officials.

It will also spell the end of the Hawk Eye challenges in which players can ask for a video review of a close call – also a popular feature with fans.

Chair umpires will be retained.

“We take our responsibility to balance tradition and innovation at Wimbledon very seriously,” Bolton added. “Line umpires have played a central role in our officiating at The Championships for many decades and we recognise their valuable contribution and thank them for their commitment and service.”

The electronic system, which is powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), reacts within one tenth of a second of the ball landing and is regarded as more accurate than human line judges who are often seen ducking for cover to avoid being struck by a 160km/h (100mph) serve.

A simple computer-generated call of “out” or “fault” will now be the final word on line calls.

Next year’s Wimbledon takes place from June 30 until July 13.

From 2025, line judges will disappear from matches at the Wimbledon Championships, which is the third of the four Grand Slam tennis events played annually [Shaun Botterill/Getty Images]