Goodbye to the linesmen: Wimbledon announces a historic change for 2025 after 147 years

The tournament of Wimbledonknown for its attachment to traditions, will take a step towards technology in 2025 at eliminate linesmen in their 18 tracks competitive, using instead an electronic line singing system (ELC). This decision will put an end to 147 years of historyas announced by the All England Club and reported by The Times.

The technology behind the change

The electronic line calling system, an advanced version of the well-known Hawkeyehas been implemented since 2020 US Open and has been adopted in several tournaments worldwide.

He ELC will sing the balls in a margin of one tenth of a second behind the boat, eliminating the need for traditional ‘challenges’ or challenges that until now allowed players to review dubious decisions.

Unlike the linesmen, the chair umpires They will remain present in their positions to supervise the general development of the matches.

Wimbledon joins the Grand Slams trend

With this change, Wimbledon becomes the third tournament in grand slam in adopting an electronic line system. Currently, the US Open and the Australian Open have already implemented ELC technology, while Roland Garros remains the only one that maintains the linesmen due to the characteristics of the claywhich allows you to verify the marks on the ball.

The introduction of this technology at Wimbledon not only represents an advance in terms of precision, but also a staff reduction of approximately 300 linesmen. This marks a radical change in the structure of the tournament and in the traditional atmosphere to which both players and fans have become accustomed.

A change driven by precision and speed

He ELC system has proven effective in the tournaments where it has been implemented, and Wimbledon organizers are confident that it will provide higher precision to the parties. Furthermore, this system not only eliminates the margin of human error, but also speeds up the game by reducing review times, allowing the match to flow without interruptions.

This move towards automation in tennis symbolizes an adjustment in the balance between tradition and modernity at Wimbledon, one of the most iconic and oldest championships in the sporting world.