The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club has announced revolutionary changes to the refereeing of the oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament, Wimbledon. Wimbledon will use artificial intelligence to make decisions about outs and service errors starting in 2025, according to AP News. Linesmen who were previously responsible for recording these events were thanked for their significant contribution and dedicated service.
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Sally Bolton, the club’s chief executive, said: “We believe the technology is robust enough that it is time to take this important step to ensure maximum accuracy in our refereeing.” She also added: “This will create the same conditions for the players as they do in many other tournaments.” Bolton stressed that Wimbledon is responsible for “balancing tradition and innovation” and thanked the linesmen for their long-standing contribution to the championship.
Thus, from 2025, Wimbledon will join the Australian and US Opens, where lines judges have already been replaced by electronic systems in 2021. The French Open will remain the only Grand Slam tournament that does not yet use automated refereeing technology.
In addition, the All England Club has announced changes to the timing of the Women’s and Men’s Singles finals. They will now begin at 16:00 local time on the second Saturday and Sunday after the doubles finals. Bolton said the changes are intended to ensure that the final days of the competition “gradually build up the climactic tension of the women’s and men’s singles finals, with the champions being crowned in front of the widest possible global audience.”