Automated line-calling system at Wimbledon is criticised after a failed call on Centre Court

WIMBLEDON, LONDON: Wimbledon’s automated line-calling system is now facing criticism after a frustrated athlete alleged that it was favouring local players.

Former French Open champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova lost a point after the technology malfunctioned at a key moment during her fourth-round match on Centre Court against Britain’s Sonay Kartal. 

In the first set, with a score of 4-4 and the game point on the line, Kartal served a shot that was clearly out, leading Pavlyuchenkova to stop her play. Suddenly, an automated voice shouted, “Stop, Stop.”  Chair umpire Nico Helwerth had to call the tournament officials for assistance. 

The umpire decided that, since the Hawk-Eye system failed to track the ball, the point needed to be replayed regardless of the TV footage clearly showing the ball was far out. Due to this, the athlete claimed: “Because she is local, they can say whatever. You took the game away from me. They stole the game from me. You stole the game from me.” 

Pavlyuchenkova still clinched victory with a score of 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 and secured a spot in the quarter-finals. However, she continued to express her frustration with the line-calling system.

“I just thought the chair umpire could take the initiative. That’s why he’s there sitting on the chair. He also saw it out, he told me after the match. I thought he would do that, but he didn’t… I think it’s also difficult for him. He probably was scared to take such a big decision,” she said. 

She added: “I think we are losing a little bit of the charm of actually having human beings. Like during COVID, we didn’t have ball boys. It just becomes a little bit weird and sort of robot-orientated.” 

On Reddit, a user shared the exact moment when the system malfunctioned. A Redditor commented: “Weird system where they replay when everyone clearly saw it was out.” 

Another Redditor questioned: “This has blown my mind. Are umpires not allowed to overrule the technology? Was the umpire just not paying attention? Absolute shitshow and an embarrassment for Wimbledon.” 

One more Redditor remarked: “So I understand they replay the point because the system could have missed other calls during the point, but in this particular point, none of the calls were close and you could see every call with the naked eye. The umpires should have more discretion in matters like these.” This gained a comment stating: “Discretion can lead to bias, which is why the rule has no discretion. Replaying the point is removing bias.”