Wimbledon replace line judges with AI after 147 years

The end of an era

For the first time in the championship's 147-year history, the 2025 edition of the tournament will not feature any line judges to make calls on whether the ball is out or not.

Instead, automated electronic line calling (ELC) will be used on all 18 match courts. The technology is effectively a wider implementation of the Hawk-Eye system which has been used for years at Wimbledon and across the world of tennis.

This tech was available for players to challenge line judge calls they disagreed with.

But in recent years, more and more tournaments have been using ELC to simply make the in-or-out call on every point, instead of just ones that players disagree with.

The system was first used fully at a grand slam at the 2020 US Open in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The men's ATP Tour had pledged to install it at all regular events from 2025 onwards. However, as the oldest and most traditional tournament on the calendar, there had been reluctance from the All England Club to introduce ELC at Wimbledon.

But organisers have decided the high standards of the championships could be compromised by persisting with human line judges, instead of ELC, which is widely considered to be much more accurate.

In a statement, All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton said: "The decision to introduce Live Electronic Line Calling at The Championships was made following a significant period of consideration and consultation.

"Having reviewed the results of the testing undertaken at The Championships this year, we consider the technology to be sufficiently robust and 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.

"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."

Automated voice calls will tell players and the crowd whether the ball was out within a tenth of a second. Because of this, the challenge system will also be ditched.

A video operator will be sat off-court in a room to oversee the process, whilst the match umpire will remain the main official on the court.