Wimbledon replaces line judges with electronic system

London: Wimbledon announced Wednesday that it is scrapping its iconic line judges in favour of electronic line calling, changing the face of the grass...

London: Wimbledon announced Wednesday that it is scrapping its iconic line judges in favour of electronic line-calling, changing the face of the grass-court tournament.

Smartly dressed umpires and line judges are as much part of the Grand Slam as strawberries and cream and the all-white kit that players must wear.

But Wimbledon has now fallen into line with other tournaments around the world, saying the move was to "balance tradition and innovation".

The men's ATP Tour in 2023 announced tour-wide adoption of electronic line calling (ELC) from 2025 in a move to "optimise accuracy and consistency across tournaments".

The All England Club announced it would make the switch to live ELC from 2025.