Wimbledon scraps line judges, embraces electronic system

Wimbledon has announced that starting in 2025, it will eliminate its iconic line judges in favor of electronic line-calling, marking a significant shift in the tournament’s long-standing traditions.

This change aligns Wimbledon with other major tournaments, following the ATP Tour’s decision to adopt electronic line-calling (ELC) across all events from the same year, aimed at enhancing accuracy and consistency.

The All England Club stated that the new technology would be implemented on all Championship and qualifying match courts, replacing line umpires for ‘out’ and ‘fault’ calls.

This decision comes after extensive testing during the recent Championships, building on the existing use of Hawk-Eye technology since 2007, which has allowed players to challenge certain line calls.

Sally Bolton, the chief executive of the All England Club, emphasized that after thorough evaluation and consultation, the club believes the technology is robust enough to ensure maximum accuracy in officiating.

The move is part of Wimbledon’s efforts to balance its rich tradition with modern advancements, continuing to position itself as a leader in tennis innovation.

“For the players, it will offer them the same conditions they have played under at a number of other events on tour.

“We take our responsibility to balance tradition and innovation at Wimbledon very seriously. Line umpires have played a central role in our officiating set-up at the Championships for many decades and we recognise their valuable contribution and thank them for their commitment and service.”

The All England Club also announced that the men’s and women’s singles finals would start at the later time of 4:00 pm local time (1500 GMT) on the final weekend of the tournament, pushed back from 2:00 pm.

Next year’s Wimbledon takes place from June 30 until July 13.