26YO Pro Delights in Joy After ATP Introduces New Initiative in a Bid to Improve Tennis’ Recurring Issue

Remember what happened between Coco Gauff and a line judge at the 2024 Paris Olympics? Gauff’s Olympic run ended with a 6-7, 2-6 loss to Donna Vekic, but the match was marked by controversy. A crucial line call in the second set, during a Gauff comeback attempt, saw a Vekic shot initially called out, then corrected to in, impacting the score and ultimately the match. Frustrated by this, she asked for an accurate line-calling technology. Subsequently, the ATP and WTA made electronic line calling (ELC) mandatory for all tournaments and courts in 2025. Their announcement has now delighted Casper Ruud.

In 2023, the ATP proposed adopting an ELC/ Electronic Line Calling system across the tour in 2025. They announced this new system as a replacement for the on-court line judges. ELC, first tested at the 2017 ATP Next Gen Finals, was aimed to enhance accuracy and consistency. Its key benefits included automated line calls for all matches with precision, advanced data analysis to track the ball, and new statistical insights developed with Tennis Data Innovations.

Reflecting on the balance between tradition and progress, ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said, “This is a landmark moment for our sport, and not one we’ve reached without careful consideration. Tradition is core to tennis and line judges have played an important part in the game over the years. That said, we have a responsibility to embrace innovation and new technologies. Our sport deserves the most accurate form of officiating and we’re delighted to be able to deliver this across our whole Tour from 2025.”

Two years after the initial announcement, ATP released a new promotional video for the ELC system on Thursday. In this video, they showed the efficiency of this new technology, especially on the clay surface, where the ball’s position is often hard to identify. ATP’s representative compared the ELC’s decision with their slow-motion camera and showed how precise it was. In clay court, where the clay shows more impact of the ball, the ELC system highlighted how the ball was 5 mm in. However, due to the clay, initially, it seemed like the ball touched the line.

When ATP tweeted promoting this new technology, Casper Ruud welcomed it with a quirky dig. “Bravo. No arguments this coming spring then,” tweeted Ruud. His comment recalled a memory of his 2024 French Open clash with Alexander Zverev. In that match, Ruud called out the chair umpire Marijana Veljovic’s decision to award a point to the German following a serve. However, the Norwegian claimed the ball landed out. Despite Ruud’s claim, Veljovic stuck to her decision.

In March 2006, the Nasdaq-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, made history by being the first tennis tour event to officially use Hawk-Eye. Later that year, the US Open became the first Grand Slam to adopt the system, allowing players to challenge line calls. Now the ATP relies on their new and more advanced technology, one that Novak Djokovic supported four years back.

Novak Djokovic wanted line judges to be replaced by machines

In October 2020, Djokovic attracted controversy when he said it was the right time to replace line judges with technology. Reflecting on how Hawk-eye technology worked wonders for the Cincinnati Open and the US Open, the Serb said, “With all my respect for the tradition and the culture we have in this sport, when it comes to people present on the court during a match, including line (judges), I really don’t see a reason why every single tournament in this world, in this technologically advanced era, would not have what we had during the Cincinnati/New York tournaments.”

However, the technology-based line calling system was denied, citing its huge expense. It was also a question of logistics given each court typically requires $20,000 to install it, depending on the location, materials used, and any additional features like lighting or fencing. Djokovic understood the problem but his 2020 US Open incident, where his angry shot hit the line judge accidentally and disqualified the Serb from the Grand Slam, formed his reason.

On the flip side, Venezuelan-Spanish ex-player Garbiñe Muguruza denied Djokovic’s claim. “They can also have a HawkEye, you know, in clay court. That solves everything. But I feel it’s pretty traditional (now), and I’m a traditional person. I enjoy having, you know, line umpires and chair umpire. And I just like things the old way,” she said. “You can put a HawkEye (in) and make it more modern, but I appreciate not being a machine on the court. (It would be) even more lonely out there just with us. A speaker that says in or out.”

The introduction of the new ELC line-calling system fuels the players’ interest, highlighting a clear and transparent judgement.