Wimbledon adopts AI and VAR on the court in 2025; says goodbye to line judges

The oldest Tennis tournament in the world, Wimbledon, has decided to replace line judges with artificial intelligence at next year’s tournament. This move could reportedly leave around 300-line judges out of jobs. However, with the advent of technology, it was inevitable.

Wimbledon was once ahead of the technology curve using ‘Cyclops’ to judge serves in 1980. When a more comprehensive Hawk-eye system was available in the early 2000s, it was integrated at Wimbledon in 2007. Now, we seem to be at the edge of another technological advancement.

Wimbledon to adopt ELC technology

During the COVID pandemic, major tournaments like the US Open implemented artificial intelligence technology. The Australian Open was the first grand slam to remove line judges on all courts in 2021. The ATP Tour and Wimbledon will bring in the technology in 2025.

Line judges have stood around the court with laser focus to determine whether the ball is in or out. But things will be different at Wimbledon 2025 without people flaunting the navy-blue blazers and cream berets. The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) has opted for an evolution of the Hawk-Eye technology to facilitate the tournament from now on.

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The new technology is called Electronic Line Calling (ELC) which will be used on all 18 courts throughout the competition. Since Wimbledon is founded on tradition, it feels a little disappointing to see 147-year-old tradition come to a close.

ELC technology: How does it work?

The system tracks the call’s movement through 12 cameras strategically placed on every court. Microphones will also be placed to listen for the sound of the ball along with a computer to interpret the ball’s location in real time.

Similar to the Video Assistant Referee in football, a video operator will oversee the technology from an external room and communicate with the chair umpire on the court.

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This isn’t the first AI technology to be introduced at Wimbledon. Earlier this year, the AELTC unveiled a new Catch Me Up tool, powered by IBM’s Watson generative AI platform. Catch Me Up allowed fans to watch highlights from games on a second screen, while following the ongoing match in real-time.