Wimbledon has hit back at players – including Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper – who believe the electronic line calling system is inaccurate.
The tournament has dispensed with line judges this year in favour of the automated, Hawkeye-powered ‘ELC’ system. Bosses are convinced the system is accurate but some players do not agree.
Raducanu protested one call during her defeat to Aryna Sabalenka on Friday and afterwards said: ‘That call was for sure out. It’s kind of disappointing that the calls can be so wrong, but for the most part they’ve been OK.
‘I’ve had a few in my other matches, too, that have been very wrong. Hopefully they can fix that.’
All England Club chair Debbie Jevans gave a robust response on Saturday, saying: ‘It’s funny, isn’t it, because when we did have linesmen, we were constantly asked why we didn’t have electronic line calling because it’s more accurate, like they do on the rest of the tour.
‘The players wanted it because they were asking us, why do we have linesmen? And now we have it in situ.
‘We have to think of innovation and we’re just moving with what the players expect.’
Draper, Raducanu’s fellow British No1, said after his own second-round defeat: ‘I don’t think it’s 100 per cent accurate in all honesty.
‘A couple of the ones today, it showed a mark on the court. There’s no way the chalk would have showed that.
‘I guess it cannot be 100 per cent accurate – it’s millimetres.
‘I thought the ball may have been wide… There was a mark that suggested it would have been wide.
‘I think it’s a shame the umpires aren’t involved.’
In response to those comments, tournament director Jamie Baker said: ‘It’s ball tracking that we’ve had here for 10 or 15 years – instead of using it just for challenges, we’re using it for regular line calling.
‘The concept of live line calling is absolutely standard across the tour now – mandatory across the ATP tour.
‘Two of the other Grand Slams have had it for four or five years.’
Another complaint from the players is that the calls – which come from pre-recorded voices of Wimbledon staff – are not loud enough.
Especially in a loud atmosphere – as it was for Raducanu v Sabalenka – the call of ‘out’ can easily be drowned by the noise of the crowd.
‘It’s a balance because if the stadiums full or not full, it makes a difference,’ said Jevans.
‘I know the team is looking at it but haven’t yet made a decision to increase the volume. Yesterday (for Raducanu v Sabalenka) I could hear the calls.’
