Wimbledon Addresses Line-Calling Controversy
Wimbledon has taken steps to eliminate the risk of 'human error' after an electronic line calling (ELC) system was accidentally turned off during a match on Centre Court. This incident occurred during the fourth-round encounter between Great Britain’s Sonay Kartal and Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, where the ELC system, introduced this year to replace traditional line judges, was deactivated for one game.
The All England Club attributed the malfunction to an 'operator error' and supported the decision of umpire Nico Helwerth to replay a point despite Kartal hitting a ball long. However, Pavlyuchenkova was visibly upset with the call, and her frustration grew when it ultimately led to her being broken at a critical moment in the first set.
‘You took the game away from me,’ she said to the umpire during the next changeover. ‘They stole the game from me. They stole it.’ Despite her initial setback, Pavlyuchenkova showed resilience by breaking back immediately and then winning a tie break to defeat Kartal.
This incident not only sparked frustration among Pavlyuchenkova but also raised concerns about the reliability of the ELC system. Several players had previously voiced complaints about the accuracy of the technology throughout the tournament. In response, the All England Club defended the system but implemented changes to prevent similar errors from occurring in the future.
‘Following our review, we have now removed the ability for Hawk-Eye operators to manually deactivate the ball tracking,’ stated Wimbledon organizers in a statement to BBC Sport. ‘While the source of the issue was human error, this error cannot now be repeated due to the system changes we have made.’
Pavlyuchenkova shared her thoughts on the controversy, emphasizing the role of the chair umpire. ‘I think the chair umpire should be able to take the initiative, that’s what he’s there for. That’s why he’s sitting on that chair. Otherwise, I think we could have also had a match without the umpires. They have no problem giving us fines and code violations for any reason so I would like them to be a bit more attentive to this sort of situation when the ball is very close to him.’
The All England Club reaffirmed its confidence in the accuracy of the ball-tracking technology, stating that the live ELC system depends on the collaboration between Hawk-Eye operators, the review official, and the technology itself. While the system functioned as intended, the incident highlighted the need for improved processes and safeguards.
Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash criticized the malfunction and the umpire's decision, calling it 'absolutely ridiculous' and 'mind-boggling.' He even joked that Wimbledon should consider replacing Helwerth, who was not assigned to any matches on Monday.
Sally Bolton, the All England Club chief executive, downplayed Helwerth’s absence, explaining that he was taking a rest day. She emphasized that the umpire followed established protocols and acted correctly on court. ‘We have rotation of our umpires regularly,’ she said. ‘A little bit like the players, the umpires also need rest days throughout the tournament. He’s having a rest day today. He’s fine. It’s really important to say that the umpire followed the protocols in place. He did what he needed to do on court and acted entirely correctly.’
Wimbledon became the third Grand Slam to adopt the electronic line calling system this year, with the French Open being the only major still using traditional line judges. Following her victory over Britain’s last remaining female player, Pavlyuchenkova will face American Amanda Anisimova in the next round for a chance to reach the semi-finals.
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