AI Line-Calling Sparks Controversy at Wimbledon 2025 — Players Question Technology’s Accuracy
🎾 AI Line-Calling Sparks Controversy at Wimbledon 2025 — Players Question Technology’s Accuracy
Wimbledon, London – July 7, 2025
The use of AI-powered electronic line-calling (ELC) at Wimbledon 2025 was meant to be a step into the future. Instead, it’s ignited a storm of criticism, raising serious concerns among players, fans, and officials over the system’s reliability — with Britain’s top players and a high-profile on-court incident fueling the fire.
🔍 What Happened?
This year marks the first Wimbledon tournament to eliminate human line judges, fully replacing them with automated AI technology powered by Hawk-Eye, a ball-tracking system using 10 cameras around the court. While this has been used in other tournaments like the Australian Open and ATP events, Wimbledon’s rollout has been anything but smooth.
The backlash intensified when Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova was left stunned by a missed call in her match against Sonay Kartal, after a clearly out ball was allowed to play on. The reason? Some of the ELC cameras on her side of the court had been accidentally turned off by an operator — a major error in a high-stakes match.
🎤 Player Outrage
Britain’s No. 1 players Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu both criticized the system after suffering losses, each pointing to what they called “unacceptable” incorrect calls. Raducanu lamented:
“It’s kind of disappointing… the calls can be so wrong.”
Draper was also seen arguing with the umpire over a questionable call during his match against Marin Cilic.
⚖️ Tournament Response
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) has defended the system, claiming it is still significantly more accurate than the human line judges it replaced. Hawk-Eye reports a margin of error of just 2.2mm, though the incident with Pavlyuchenkova has clearly shaken confidence.
Chief Executive Sally Bolton admitted the error was human — not machine — and said new protocols had been implemented to prevent it from recurring. However, critics say this underscores the need for backup systems, like video replay or allowing umpires to override AI when necessary.
🤖 The Larger Debate
The controversy reveals a deeper tension: should AI fully replace human judgment in sports? While technology has improved accuracy in many areas, moments of human error in operating these systems can still result in outcomes just as flawed — and far less forgivable to players.
Though the ELC has had strong adoption on hard and clay courts, this high-profile rollout at Wimbledon has cast doubt on its use on grass, especially without the option for challenges.
As the tournament moves into its later rounds, the AELTC faces pressure to either reassure players and fans or reconsider aspects of the system before next year.
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#Wimbledon2025 #AILineCalling #HawkEye #TennisTechnology #WimbledonControversy #ELC #JackDraper #EmmaRaducanu #AnastasiaPavlyuchenkova #WimbledonNews #TennisAI #SportsTechDebate
