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Wimbledonthe most famous tennis tournament in the world, it is an event that even its strong traditions (white clothes, for example) have not avoided innovation and progress. The British Grand Slam has just rocked the region with a historic announcement: it will stop using linesmen in 2025, replacing human judges with technology and artificial intelligence for the first time in 147 years of a tournament played on grass.
From next year, the image of well-dressed men and women (shirts, trousers and berets) standing at attention at the back and sides of the All England Club courts will no longer exist after the event’s organizers decided to install a self-powered electric cable. call (Electronic Line Calling Live; ELC Live; something like “Electronic Line Calling Live”) in 18 courts of difficulty, including the center.
Technological advancements in the game of tennis are a positive trend that has been seen around since about 2020 and may make line judges obsolete forever. “After analyzing the results of the tests conducted in Championship (Wimbledon) this year, we believe that the technology is strong enough and that the time is right to take this important step in researching more precisely in our work (…) We take very seriously our responsibility to balance discipline and skill at Wimbledon. Linesmen have played a vital role in refereeing over the years and we recognize their support and thank them for their dedication and service,” said Sally Bolton, chief executive of the All England Club.
The use of Hawk-Eye Live, an automated system that eliminates line judges, was first tested at the 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan. Then, the need to stay at a distance due to the Covid-19 pandemic removed the court operators from August 2020 and, in tournaments such as Cincinnati, the US Open. [excepto en los dos estadios principales, el Arthur Ashe y el Louis Armstrong] and Masters, they were replaced by a system that provides greater accuracy but eliminates blood pressure and eliminates work.
Last April, the president of the ATP, Italy, Andrea Gaudenzi, already announced that the line judges will be completely replaced by electronic software from 2025. Among the Grand Slams, which are affiliated with the International Tennis Federation, The US Open and the Australian Open had already abandoned line judges , which Wimbledon joined. Until now, Roland Garros, which is played on brick dust, a place where his influence is symbolic and often causes controversy, remains alone. big who will continue to have a line of judges. Until when? It will be seen.
In tennis, the Hawk’s Eye was officially used for the first time in 2006, at the Miami tournament. The US Open, the same year, was the first Grand Slam to use this system and, in 2018, it was the first. big by providing “telephones” in all courts of the main matches which are automatically duplicated and doubled. Over time, the system was refined and even the “challenges” became part of the entertainment on the courts as spectators debated whether the ball in question was good or not. With Hawk-Eye Live he went one step further and the instrument of justice became, the first and last word.
The practice of festivals, for a long time, is to reduce costs and not to use a judging panel with a concrete method. It’s true that having a Hawk-Eye Live system represents a huge budget, and it also means money for the opposition. ATP 250 like the one in Buenos Aires, for example, needs 40 judges to cover the courts for a week (including qualifiers). In addition to paying the salary, the competition is responsible for food, clothing, insurance and setting up a tent where the opponents rest or leave their belongings (only the judges receive accommodation; the external line judges usually stay in the addresses of their friends in the area) .
Since Hawkeye joined tennis, the judges began to talk, with great concern, about his future. Today we can say that it is a job in danger, because being a line is a way that is shown in the development of the referee.
Wimbledon also announced changes to its 2025 finals schedule, with the aim of “improving awareness” for everyone involved. Doubles players will have greater certainty of playing time and spectators will enjoy the day growth until the finals of the men’s and women’s singles tournament, “with the winners crowned in front of the biggest crowd in the world,” said Bolton, president of the All England Club.
In this way, the women’s final will be played on Saturday, as before, but at 4 o’clock in Great Britain, instead of 2 o’clock in the afternoon as it has been until now. As for the men’s finals, it will be played on Sunday at 4pm instead of 2pm, while the women’s finals will start at 1pm.
THE NATION