After 147 Years, Wimbledon To Ditch Human Line Judges

Image courtesy of Sports Business Journal

By Patrick D. Lewis

One of the most tradition-driven sporting events in the world is about to take a major step out of its comfort zone: Wimbledon is removing human line judges and moving to an electronic line calling (ELC) system.

The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, the organization that runs what is considered by some to be the top tournament in tennis, announced on October 9 that the 2025 tournament will replace human line judges with an electronic system. 

ELC was piloted at the 147-year old tournament this year and will be fully implemented for next summer’s event. Wimbledon is the third of the four major tennis tournaments to implement an electronic umpiring system; only the French Open has yet to do so, although it also has faced calls to replace human line judges.

Proponents of ELC point to the obvious, the fallibility of a person versus the perfect accuracy of a machine, as a reason too convincing to ignore. Some players have also called for complete conversion to electronic systems because they dislike the current mix between human and AI systems on tour due to the inconsistency. 

Long-time tennis fans and fans of retaining traditional characteristics of the game, though, have reacted negatively to the move.

Sally Bolton, chief executive of the club, said in her statement, “the decision to introduce Live Electronic Line Calling at The Championships was made following a significant period of consideration and consultation.”

The switch to ELC will also eliminate video challenges, a feature of major tournaments for years in which players could ask for an electronic system review of a call a limited number of times per match. Removing line judges will also preclude the possibility of player-umpire arguments over calls, which have long entertained fans and infuriated officials.

The chair umpire position will remain in place and the umpire will continue to have discretion over things like warnings and penalties for conduct, rule, and time violations, but will lose the power to overrule a line call.

The ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Tour, the governing body for men’s tennis, announced in 2023 that it was mandating ELC for use at all tournaments beginning in 2025. WTA, the Women’s Tennis Association, has not yet made such a decision, but all major and the majority of other tournaments are mixed so most events will switch due to the ATP decision.

The change will likely continue to be subject to debate for some time to come, but one thing is for certain: there will never again be debates about calls at Wimbledon.