Does Technology Spell The End Of Wimbledon’s Beloved Traditions?

The news broke earlier this week that the Wimbledon Tennis Championships will be ditching a 147-year feature of the competition in favour of artificial intelligence: line judges. Is this the beginning of the end of the Grand Slam’s beloved traditions?

Is This The End Of Wimbledon As We Know It?

Tradition is at the heart of Wimbledon, from crowd enjoyment (think strawberries and cream washed down with a glass of Pimm’s on the mound) to old fashioned quirks right on the court. With the Championships dating back to 1877, the latter includes each and every player donning white, alongside smartly dressed ball boys and girls and seriously suave line judges. In the crowds, suited and booted ushers guard every entry, while lucky ticket holders themselves often don their best clothes, too.

Beady eyed watchers will have spied these line judges lurking behind the players at either end of the court. They’re in charge of judging when a ball escapes the bounds of the court, calling ‘out!’ loud for all to hear – including the umpire. If a player disagrees with the call, they can challenge it, and we see a clever technical video zooming into where the ball actually landed, powered by Hawk-Eye, which has been used at Wimbledon since 2007.

But Wimbledon officials have called time on these line judges in favour of live electronic line calling (ELC), bringing the competition up to date with this modern era of techy tennis. The Australian and US Opens have already abandoned line judges in favour of tech, leaving France’s Roland Garros the only grand slam tournament holding out.

‘The decision to introduce Live Electronic Line Calling at the championships was made following a significant period of consideration and consultation,’ Wimbledon’s chief executive, Sally Bolton, commented on the news. ‘Having reviewed the results of the testing 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. ‘For the players, it will offer them the same conditions they have played under at a number of other events on tour.’

So is this tragic news for Wimbledon’s quirky traditions, or to be expected amid the ATP’s continued move towards technology? (The body announced last year that ELC would be adopted at all ATP Tour events on every court from 2025 onwards.) We think it’s a mixture of both. It’ll be sad to wave goodbye to the well-dressed line judges, who don smart white trousers and striped shirts with flat caps and pull over jumpers if preferred, all designed by Ralph Lauren. Their interactions with players on court, both positive and negative, are all part of the spectacle Wimbledon offers – a very human touch that sets the tournament apart from many other Grand Slams.

Ball Boys during the Venus Williams (USA) v Elina Svitolina (UKR) match in the first round of the Ladies’ Singles on Centre Court at The Championships 2023. Held at The All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon. Day 1 Monday 03/07/2023. (AELTC/Ben Solomon)

The big question is: what next? Are the ball boys and ball girls next on the cull list in favour of a roomba style robot? Will umpires be joined by a video assistant referee (VAR) style system as we’ve seen in professional football? Or perhaps scrapped entirely in favour of computers? Only time will tell…

As The Guardian points out, the move also affects aspiring chair umpires who often begin their careers as line officials before moving up in the world (literally). The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has addressed these worries in a statement: ‘We understand the reasons behind the decision to introduce live electronic line-calling and we recognise the ongoing changes to officiating around the world. With this in mind we are already working with the Association of British Tennis Officials to understand the impact on the pathway for British officials, and develop a new joint strategy with them 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 news joins a change in scheduling for 2025, with the singles finals moved two hours later in the afternoon to 4pm in a bid to attract a larger television audience (and to provide a better viewing window for fans across the Atlantic).

‘We have adjusted the provisional schedule for the final weekend of The Championships with the ambition of improving the experience for all involved,’ Bolton explained. ‘The doubles players competing in the finals will have increased certainty over their schedule and fans will enjoy each day’s play as it builds towards the crescendo of the ladies’ and gentlemen’s singles finals, with our champions being crowned in front of the largest possible worldwide audience.’

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