Wimbledon tournament director Jamie Baker has hit back after Emma Raducanu became the latest star to complain about the electronic line calling. Many top stars in SW19 have been suggesting that the technology, which replaced line judges for the first time this year, is not accurate.
However, Baker insists that the electronic calls can be trusted because other tournaments have proved how successful it is.
“The concept of live line calling is absolutely standard across the Tour now – mandatory across the ATP Tour,” he said.
“Two of the other Grand Slams have had it for four or five years. What that has meant is that the level of sophistication and certification around the system has become more professional and more robust as time has gone on.
“The accuracy and the reliability and the robustness of the system and the process as a whole, in terms of officiating, is in as good a place as it has been.”
Raducanu was unhappy with one of the decisions during her loss to world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka on Friday night and demanded that Wimbledon bosses fix the issue.
“Yeah, I mean, that call was like, for sure out,” Raducanu said. “It’s kind of disappointing, the tournament here, that the calls can be so wrong, but for the most part they’ve been okay.
“It’s just like, I’ve had a few in my other matches, too, that have been very wrong. So yeah, I don’t know. Hopefully they can kind of fix that.”
British No.1 Jack Draper also encountered similar problems. He said: “I don’t think it’s 100 per cent accurate, in all honesty.
“A couple of the ones today, it showed, like, a mark on the court. There’s no way the chalk would have showed. I guess it can’t be 100 per cent accurate.
“It’s millimetres. It’s for both ways. I think it’s a shame that the umpires aren’t involved.
“It’s obviously something that makes it easier for the players because we don’t have to worry about line calls.”
And defending champion Carlos Alcaraz was left livid mid-way through his win over Jan-Lennard Struff, moaning to the umpire: “I’m not sure about it. I would have asked for a challenge.
“It’s not the first time I’ve seen the machine… it’s not the first time. I’m not sure about some calls.”
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