LONDON (Reuters) - As more tournaments around the world opt for electronic line calling systems instead of human line judges, seven-times Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander says tennis is losing its intrigue and personality and is in danger of becoming an esport.
The Australian Open replaced on-court officials with the electronic system at the year’s first Grand Slam and U.S. Open organizers said they would use the technology on all courts during the final major in 2021.
“I like line umpires and I liked the challenge system where we had three challenges,” Wilander told Reuters.
Line calls are being delivered real time through remote tracking cameras, removing the challenge system that allowed players to contest calls made by the judges.
The French Open remains the only major that does not use the ball-tracking system, instead leaving the umpires to make final decisions based on marks left by the ball on the red clay.