2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Tom Sunderland, Mathew Davies)
Wimbledon is set to embrace a technological shift in 2025, ditching line judges for electronic calls in a move that has divided tennis titans Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. The prestigious grass courts of SW19 will undergo this tech transformation next year, but not all players are on board with the change. Djokovic has been an advocate for minimising human error through technology, openly supporting the use of electronic officiating over traditional methods.
Conversely, Nadal has shown a preference for the classic approach to tennis officiating, which might leave him less than thrilled with the All England Club's decision to replace 300 line judges as part of modernising the sport. Djokovic expressed his stance back in October 2020, stating: "With all my respect for the tradition and the culture we have in this sport, when it comes to people present on the court during a match, including line [judges], I really don't see a reason why every single tournament in this world, in this technological advanced era, would not have what we had during the Cincinnati/New York tournaments." This comment followed closely after Djokovic's controversial disqualification from the US Open, where he accidentally struck a line judge in the throat with a ball during his fourth-round match against Pablo Carreno Busta, leading to his default from the tournament, reports the Mirror .
Nadal has put in a strong word for the retention of line judges in tennis, despite a shift towards electronic line calling systems. During a discussion on the matter, the Spanish legend and winner of an unparalleled 14 Roland-Garros championships expressed his preference. "I don't want to create controversy, but I think the traditional court with line judges looks much nicer," Nadal revealed while addressing Djokovic's 2020 comments that line judges were unnecessary.
"Novak said line judges were not needed. All opinions are respected. There are different visions of the sport, but for me I like it less without line judges.
" The revered player, aged 38, further articulated his stance by asserting that using technology for line calls does not necessarily amplify the enjoyment factor of the game. He suggested that it would not "improve the spectacle of our sport". On the other hand, advocates for technological accuracy hold that instant line-call technology, capable of making determinations within one-tenth of a second, could indeed enhance how spectators experience matches.
Line judges have been known to make mistakes and face risks from fast-moving balls, raising questions about the reliability of human calls. Meanwhile, line technology, such as the renowned Hawkeye system, allows players to request reviews of contentious decisions. As the tennis world finds itself divided on this modernisation question, titans of the court like Nadal and Djokovic occupy different ends of this ongoing debate.
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