Automatic Technology to Replace Line Judges: Beginning in 2025, the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour will adopt automatic decision-making technology in place of human line judges, who have been phased out in various tournaments around the world, including the Australian Open and United States Open. Adopting this development, dubbed Electronic Line Calling Live, or ELC Live, is expected to increase accuracy and consistency in all tennis tournaments around the world, making the game more decisive and efficient. This in turn would ensure better betting odds for tennis in the future as it would prevent possible mistakes by line judges on difficult angles.
The technology has been used since the onset of coronavirus and now ATP Tour officials have decided to implement it across all surfaces. Only Wimbledon, which plays under a grass court surface, and the clay court-clad French Open are the only Grand Slam events that insisted on using human judgment in making line calls. The ATP noted that the move is aimed at optimizing accuracy and consistency across all tournaments, match courts and surfaces. The officials of the tennis tour also pointed out that various suppliers are set to be approved for use by 2025 in clay surfaces, which is considered by many as the most challenging in terms of surface accuracy.
Automatic Technology to Replace Line Judges: Supported by Research
The ATP said that the decision was backed by extensive research conducted by the sanctioning body for men’s professional tennis across all stakeholders, including fans, who identified that accuracy and consistency are the most important factors in evaluating line-calling systems. All technologies, however, have major drawbacks. As for the new system, the ELC Live is expected to eradicate the pathway to the top of the sport for officials, as they will be replaced by more accurate line calling that would make the game more efficient and more exciting. ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi called this as a “landmark moment for the sport.” He admitted that the decision to use the new technology was reached with careful consideration.
Despite the new change, each match still will be overseen by a chair umpire. Only the line judges will be removed from court and will be replaced by ELC Live. The St. Petersburg, Florida-based Women’s Tennis Association Tour has not made any announcements regarding any plans for electronic calls at its tournaments but a WTA official stated that they are considering the new development and are “very interested” with it. Having ELC Live deciding on line shots would provide accurate decisions on attempts that dropped on the line. The new technology is expected to rake in more tennis fans as it will now be technology-based. Sports odds are expected to be more thrilling as well as it will give a more accurate feel to the sport which would challenge the betting public to pick the right tennis players who they feel will win in any tournament in the ATP and WTA circuits.
