Wimbledon to replace line judges with electronic line calling from 2025

The sight of line judges walking out on to court in their navy jackets, pinstriped shirts and white trousers or skirts has long been part of Wimbledon tradition. Many will miss the human touch, whether it is the official with the booming voice or the withering look from a player who disagrees with the call.

Being a line judge is not a full-time job, but the best officials could earn up to £200 a day plus expenses at Wimbledon.

They were selected on the strength of their work at lower tier events over the previous 12 months, with form in the grass court tournaments before Wimbledon likely to determine who ended up on Centre Court for the first couple of days.

Chair umpires will remain, but there will now be legitimate concerns about where the next generation of officials will come from.

Most British umpires started as line judges, and may have been given the opportunity to umpire qualifying matches while employed as a line judge at smaller events.

Will so many be interested in going down that career path if the carrot of officiating at Wimbledon is no longer available?

Players will intermittently complain about electronic line calling, but there has been consensus for a while that the technology is now more accurate and consistent than a human being.

“Machines don’t feel the pressure at five-all in the final set,” was the way one umpire put it.

A lot of these jobs will not disappear completely. Although there is money to be saved by the removal of line judges, there are now many new roles for video review officials.

And in the absence of line judges, match assistants are required on court to escort players to the bathroom or take their racquets to the stringer.

“There is a bit of sadness of course – it is the end of a tradition at Wimbledon, but it is something we anticipated,” Malgorzata Grzyb, chair of the Association of British Tennis Officials, told BBC Sport.

“We have watched the developments in major tennis events around the world – two of the Grand Slam tournaments already use electronic line calling. I think this was inevitable it was going to happen.”

Grzyb believes the change will provide a more direct route for officials to become chair umpires, adding: “In the past we have traditionally developed chair umpires through line umpires.

“I think the pathway now will be a little more direct, so it will enable chair umpires to progress to that level more quickly.”

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), which is the governing body of tennis in the UK, said it “understands the reasons” behind the All England Club’s decision.

“We recognise the ongoing changes to officiating around the world,” it said.

“With this in mind we are already working with the Association of British Tennis Officials to understand the impact on the pathway for British officials and develop a new joint strategy with them that will ensure officials can be retained within the sport.”