Players wanting to stare down or glare at a line judge at the Australian Open after a close or contentious call will have difficulty doing so this year, as there won’t be any.
In a Grand Slam first, there will be no on-court line judges on any of the tournament courts in an effort to reduce the number of staff on-site during the pandemic. Only players, chair umpires and ball kids will be on the court.
Tennis Australia announced on Wednesday the introduction of live electronic line calls, saying movement-activated and pre-recorded voices will be used for the terms “Out”, “Foot Fault” and “Fault” in matches.
Live electronic line calling is delivered through remote tracking cameras around the court, automatically sending the audio line calls in real time.
“The Australian Open will be the first Grand Slam tournament to introduce live electronic line calling on all courts,” Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said.
The new system should mean fewer challenges of line calls by players, and less time spent reviewing replays on the big stadium screens.
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