Wimbledon to replace line judges with electronic line calling from 2025

The oldest tennis tournament in the world will have a new look on court come 2025, breaking away from a long-standing tradition.

Faults and out calls will no longer be made by line judges at Wimbledon. On Wednesday, the All England Club (AELTC) announced that it electronic line calling (ELC) will go into effect on every court at next year’s event.

“Having reviewed the results of the testing undertaken at The Championships this year, we consider the technology to be sufficiently robust and the time is right to take this important step in seeking maximum accuracy in our officiating. For the players, it will offer them the same conditions they have played under at a number of other events on tour,” said Sally Bolton, Chief Executive of the All England Club.

The grass-court major is the third of the four to shift to the technology. ELC was initially used during the closed 2020 US Open during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and remains in place at Flushing Meadows. In 2021, Tennis Australia joined the movement by implementing the practice at the Australian Open.

"We take our responsibility to balance tradition and innovation at Wimbledon very seriously. Line umpires have played a central role in our officiating setup at The Championships for many decades and we recognize their valuable contribution and thank them for their commitment and service,” shared Bolton.

In April 2023, the ATP disclosed ELC Live would be adopted tour-wide by the 2025 season. “We have a responsibility to embrace innovation and new technologies,” ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi stated at the time.

The AELTC also revealed that the start times for the women’s and men’s singles finals would shift back from 2 to 4 p.m. Doubles championships will now precede those matches at 1 p.m. over finals weekend, with the mixed doubles final maintaining its provisional place on the second Thursday.