Wimbledon star breaks silence as tournament replaces 147-year-old tradition

There has been a major change at Wimbledon as the iconic tennis tournament's line judges have been replaced with cameras that monitor whether or not the ball is out of court. The removal also means that players can no longer challenge a decision.

The change also made quite a visual impact, with the smartly-dressed line judges no longer being present. Even though the move brings Wimbledon into line with other major tournaments, including the US Open and the Australian Open, opinion was still divided.

Speaking to reporters, American star Frances Tiafoe said: "I actually like [it] with them on the court, because I think for fanfare it's better. If I were to hit a serve on a big point, you go up with the challenge, is it in, is it out? The crowd is, like, 'ohhh'. There's none of that.

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"If I hit a good serve now and they call it out, you may still think it's in, but it doesn't matter. I think that kind of kills it."

British star Cameron Norrie agreed, saying: "Obviously there's a lot of jobs and people that love tennis, which will definitely be missed from them.

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"As a player, it's pretty black or white with the calls. In, out... there's no mistake, nothing happening. Definitely, you've got to feel for those linesmen and those people. That's a bit tough for them, but it's pretty black or white with the calling."

Decision

Explaining the move, Sally Bolton, the chief executive of Wimbledon, said: "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."

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The system has been in place at Wimbledon for many years, with it typically being referred to after a player had lodged a challenge to a line judge's decision.

The move surprised many fans as the tournament had previously shut down worries that it could replace line judges with their AI counterparts. "Line umpires remain an important element of our officiating set-up at the Championships, and there are no plans to switch to electronic line-calling," a statement in 2021 confirmed.