Wimbledon made the announcement on Wednesday that it will replace its recognizable line judges with electronic line-calling starting in 2025, drastically altering the character of the grass-court competition.
As much a part of the 147-year-old Grand Slam as strawberries and cream and the all-white uniform that players are required to wear are well-groomed umpires and line judges.
However, Wimbledon has recently aligned itself with other global championships, seeing this as a move to “balance tradition and innovation.”
In an effort to “optimize accuracy and consistency across tournaments,” the men’s ATP Tour stated in 2023 that electronic line-calling (ELC) will be implemented throughout the tour starting in 2025. The women’s WTA Tour is also proceeding in this same manner.
While the French Open does not use it, the Australian and US Opens do.
