AI gets real as line judges in tennis are replaced by technology

As the Wimbledon tennis tournament got underway on Monday in its 148th year, tennis fans were shocked by a new reality: no more line judges.

Those people that view the court with an eagle’s eye and call out ‘fault!’ or ‘off!’ during the match? The All England Club is getting rid of all of them for the first time at Wimbledon, and replacing them with artificial intelligence (AI) – despite officials previously denying they would do so.

Previously, these immaculately dressed officials were tasked to keep a close eye on the white lines to see where a ball landed. But from 2025, they are being fully replaced with electronic line calling (ELC), an automated system also known as Hawk-Eye after the firm that invented it, sending ripples through other workforces, wondering who else will technology be rendering jobless?

During tight calls, the AI will know instantly whether the ball touched the line, meaning players can quickly move onto the next point. It also means the challenging system, which gave the players the right to challenge the call of a human line judge, will be scrapped.

For now, human umpires will be kept at Wimbledon, but it may be a matter of time before they are replaced too. When the move was announced last autumn, chair umpire Richard Ings said line judges have had their love and passion ripped away.

Adapted from MailOnline