The All England Lawn Tennis Club’s (AELTC) new artificial intelligence platform is coming to The Wimbledon Championships in 2025. Instead of human line umpires covering the “out” and “fault” calls, the AI platform Live Electronic Line Calling (Live ELC) will determine them. AELTC said the officiating technology will be in place for all Championships and Qualifying match courts.

AI Line Umpires

AI is replacing human line umpires at The Wimbledon 2025

This is the first time the ELC technology will be introduced during the Wimbledon. It’s not a random decision, either. The AI technology was extensively tested during the Championships this year. Additionally, the technology builds on existing ball-tracking and line-tracking.

“The decision to introduce Live Electronic Line Calling at The Championships was made following a significant period of consideration and consultation,” said Sally Bolton, the Chief Executive of the All England Club. “Having reviewed the results of the testing undertaken at The Championships this year, we consider the technology to be sufficiently robust and the time is right to take this important step in seeking maximum accuracy in our officiating.”

She added, “For the players, it will offer them the same conditions they have played under at a number of other events on tour.”

Artificial Replacement

AI will decide if a ball is in or out at the Wimbledon 2025

The system tracks the ball’s movement through 12 strategically placed cameras surrounding the court. In addition, microphones pick up the sound of the ball hitting the court to interpret the ball’s location in real time. The technology is similar to Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in soccer. For example, a video operator monitors the cameras in a separate room and communicates with the chair umpire. Next year, the ELC technology will replace all 300 line judges.

“Line umpires have played a central role in our officiating set-up at the championships for many decades,” Bolton said, “and we recognize their valuable contribution and thank them for their commitment and service.”

The Australian Open and U.S. Open have already replaced line judges and only have a chair umpire. Wimbledon joins them with AI line judges. According to the Associated Press, the new technology makes the French Open the only Grand Slam tournament without electronic line-calling.

However, this is not the first time that Wimbledon has used AI. In 2023, the tournament enhanced the coverage with artificial intelligence-powered commentary and analysis. During this time, the AELTC partnered with tech giant IBM to offer fans a unique, immersive experience using AI commentary and captions in online highlight videos.

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