By Rahul Sadhu
Wimbledon has finally made the shift from human line judges to AI-powered electronic line-calling on the first day of the tournament. However, the new development has sparked mixed reactions from players and fans alike. The new line-call technology, developed by Hawk-Eye, relies on AI analysis from up to 18 cameras tracking every ball movement. However, some players have reported difficulty adjusting to the volume and tone of these automated voices. 鈥淭he voice, I cannot really hear it, it is a bit too low,鈥 said China鈥檚 Yuan Yue, after her match against Germany鈥檚 Eva Lys on Court 8. 鈥淚 asked the referee, can you [turn] it up a little bit. He said he cannot. He said he will try to let us know [the call] because he has a machine that can look it up. I don鈥檛 really mind, I just want to hear it clearly. [The umpire鈥檚] voice is a lot louder than the automatic one, so we can hear that clearly.鈥 Latvia鈥檚 Jelena Ostapenko echoed the issue of audibility. 鈥淚 hit a few shots that were at a pretty big moment, and the crowd kind of went nuts, so maybe I lost it a bit in that,鈥 she said. 鈥淏ut I was perfectly fine with it.鈥 Cameron Norrie expressed sympathy for the displaced officials but appreciated the clarity the system brings. 鈥淎s a player, it鈥檚 pretty black or white with the calls. In, out鈥 there鈥檚 no mistake, nothing happening,鈥 he said. 鈥淒efinitely, you鈥檝e got to feel for those linemen and those people. That鈥檚 a bit tough for them, but it鈥檚 pretty black or white with the calling.鈥 The All England Club emphasises that this shift is about evolving the tournament rather than cost-cutting. Sally Bolton, Chief Executive of the All England Club, said, 鈥淔or us, it was time to make that change,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a money-saving exercise; the technology investment we鈥檝e had to make to deliver electronic line calling is not insignificant. It鈥檚 about evolving the tournament and making sure that we鈥檙e providing the most effective possible line calling.鈥 She also revealed that many former line judges are still involved in new roles. 鈥淭he line judges have been such an important part of the championships for so many years, and we obviously hugely appreciate the service that they鈥檝e provided. Quite a few of them, around 80, are still with us as match assistants in a new role, supporting the chair umpire,鈥 Bolton added. As the AI era dawns on Centre Court and beyond, Wimbledon is learning to balance tradition with technology, albeit with a few audible hiccups.