In or Out? Well, when it comes to clay courts, it becomes very hard to tell. This year, in a groundbreaking move, the electronic line calling system was introduced at the Monte Carlo Masters. But interestingly, the biggest event on the clay courts, i.e., the French Open, still remains the only major tournament not to use electronic line calling. When it comes to ELC, different players have different opinions, and for example, Arthur Fils thinks this type of technology makes the game lose its charm. According to him, having the line judges was more like “life on the court.” While others have a different take on this! In the last few weeks, the tennis fans have witnessed a lot of controversies surrounding the line calls. What does the American tennis star Madison Keys have to say on this?

If we take a look back, the AO replaced the line judges with the electronic system in 2021, the US Open did it a year later. Later on, Wimbledon also followed their paths, but in the French Open, there is still this traditional use of ball marks left in the clay to determine whether shots are in or out. Does Madison Keys think that the ELC should be introduced at the French Open in the near future as well? During the recent press conference at the Italian Open, the American said, “I don’t know I have mixed feelings on it.“

However, she then went on to add, “I think that’s great in some way because it takes the kind of arguing out of it, you know. You don’t have the chair umpire coming down and you’re arguing over what’s touching and what’s not. But I also know that electronic line calling has a margin for error.”

She added, “So I think it gets a little bit tricky when you’re staring at a mark that’s clearly out but the board is saying it’s touching. So I don’t know, I don’t know where I stand on it quite yet. I do think it’s nice that you just kind of have to keep going and playing and there’s no room for argument.“

Wait a minute! Is it the first time that we have seen Madison Keys opening up on this topic this year, though? Well, she spoke about this even during the ASB Classic as well! Keys defeated Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian in the R16 of the ASB Classic by 6-1,6-2 to book her place in the QF. However, in that match, there was a moment when Cristian’s return seemed out on a graphic on the screen, but the ELC system called it in. During that time, Madison Keys was spotted arguing with the umpire about what had happened. But the umpire told her that the ball was in, but the wrong graphic was shown.

Keys looked a bit surprised with this take and said, “I really don’t know, when the ball mark is out, but then it’s called in. I don’t really know what to do, but they said it was in, so you just have to move on.” Does she intend to have the line judges back? “No, I don’t miss lines, people. I’ll take the occasional mistake with the electronic line calling,” said Keys at that time. 

Last year’s event, the men’s final at the French Open featuring Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz, witnessed a few controversies surrounding the line calls. The German didn’t look too pleased with the call. So, this isn’t a new issue in the tennis world. What do Madison Keys’ peers have to say on this, though?

Like Madison Keys, Sabalenka also gives an edge to technology over traditional linespeople

During the Stuttgart Open, the women’s number one, Aryna Sabalenka, was handed a warning for taking a picture during a match as she was not happy with the line call, and the chair umpire refused to overturn the decision. Even Victoria Azarenka posted an image of a controversial line call from her match at the Madrid Open on her social media handle. On the men’s side, Alexander Zverev followed a similar path at the Madrid Open. He was seen taking a picture of the mark left by the ball. Considering all these, one may wonder if the players are for or against the ELC.

Zverev was recently asked if he’s happy to see the French Open stick with its traditional lines people over ELC or not. In reply to that, the German said, “They still going to have that? Well, it screwed me last year. To be honest, I like the electronic line calling. I think there was absolutely no mistakes in Monte Carlo, there were no mistakes in Munich. I think there was something wrong with the system in Madrid. I think the weeks before it worked perfectly fine. It was a mistake-free kind of. I still think that it’s the right way to go forward, too. When mistakes happen like this in Madrid, maybe they have to readjust it for the next day, readjust the system a little bit.”

He stressed having the umpire come down from the chair a look a bit into it in times of this type of controversial situations like these. What does Madison Keys‘ peer Aryna Sabalenka think of this? Even Sabalenka defended the use of ELC, saying, “I prefer the electronic system. I trust it more than the referees. I think it’s better, so there is less tension between the player and the referee.“

Amid all these, Madison Keys’ compatriot, Peyton Stearns, highlighted a serious loophole in the use of the ELC system on clay. In her first match at the Italian Open, there was a moment when we saw the chair umpire’s decision taking an unprecedented turn just seconds after landing in her favor. Stearns expressed her frustration over the confusing situation by saying, “I hit a ball that the review did not say was out or anything. My opponent had missed the shot, said it was out. Then I was told the ref went and checked the mark, which we are told you’re not allowed to do. And then, after checking the marks, she said it was out and then said that the line-calling system was down, and that’s why she checked it.“

She feels it has been pretty adamant to all the players that the umpire can’t go and check the marks no matter what. Stearns in fact sought a better clarification. What are your thoughts on these incidents surrounding controversial line calls?