When it comes to the technological advancements in sports, tennis is at the forefront of them. Be it the Hawk-Eye technology or replacing the line judges with electronic line calling, we have seen it all. Take the example of the Wimbledon Championships, wherein a 148-year-old tradition was broken after the tournament replaced human line judges with robots and AI-powered line-call technology. With further and rapid advancements in technology, another new phenomenon was seen on the tennis court at WTA Guadalajara.

After an eventful two weeks at the US Open, where Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz reigned triumphant, the action shifts to the WTA 500 tournament taking place in Guadalajara, Mexico. Played on the hard courts, the tournament boasts some renowned stars in the form of Sloane Stephens—returning to the tour after 7 months—and Jelena Ostapenko. However, earlier today, a surprising event took place that none of the fans might have expected.

During the match between Camila Osorio and Kamilla Rakhimova, a robot dog named Dogo walked out before the start of the encounter. As the eyes of fans and commentators were glued to the robot, it performed a coin toss and executed it to perfection. While originally it was the umpires who had performed these duties, automated canines had now taken their position.

Meanwhile, the WTA 500 tournament in Guadalajara is a perfect blend of modern technology with new innovations. Nonetheless, the sole aim of the robot was to create a buzz and enthrall the fans with innovation.

However, such innovations also lead to an unpleasant condition for some players. Earlier this year, when the robots were introduced at the Australian Open, Erin Routlleffe expressed her dissatisfaction and slammed the tournaments for shunning the age-old tradition. Even as many tournaments have started using technology, the French Open faced criticism for going the other way.

Novak Djokovic called out the French Open for following the age-old tradition

During this year’s French Open, the tournament decided against using the electronic line-calling system and instead continued with the line judges. This call came under massive scrutiny, even as the chances of human error on this surface are high due to low visibility. As a result, Djokovic was unhappy with the organizers and made his feelings felt.

During an interview, he said, “You don’t want to give everything away to the technology, right? But if I have to choose between the two, I’m more of a proponent of technology. It’s just more accurate, saves time, and … (means) less people on the court.” While Djokovic was quite vocal regarding this issue, other players also questioned the purpose of this ruling.

Meanwhile, the French federation president, Gilles Moretton, had other ideas. He wanted the players to come together unanimously and fight for their cause, which was to introduce the electronic line-calling system to eradicate human errors. What do you think about these technological advancements in tennis? Let us know your views in the comments below.