Electronic line calling system ‘Hawk-Eye Live’ will be tested at the upcoming ATP Next Gen Finals and will replace line judges as a result.
The technology will be introduced for the first time at an ATP World Tour event and will be used to determine if line calls are in or out. This means that line judges will be replaced and the umpire will be the only official on court when the finals take place in Milan.
Decisions that are made will be final and players will be unable to challenge the calls. Foot faults, which are normally determined by line judges, will be determined by a ‘review official’ who will monitor the feet of the servers via a monitor.
Executive Vice President of the ATP’s rules and competition department said the following about the innovative technology:
‘This could be a landmark moment for officiating in our sport. Our athletes work incredibly hard and deserve the very best and most accurate officiating we can offer. The technology is in place where we feel comfortable trialling the new system in a real tournament environment. The ATP Next Gen finals is the perfect place to do this, and we look forward to monitoring the results and assessing the merits of the new system.’
Hawk-Eye Live has been tested for 18 months now and the Director of Tennis at Hawk-Eye, Sam Green, believes it is the future of tennis officiating:
‘Working with the ATP has allowed us to refine the system to not only improve the quality of line calling but the overall fan experience.’
Other changes that will be tested at the event include a 25 second second shot clock, only one Medical Time Out per match and abolishing let calls on serve.
The event will take place in Milan on the 7th to the 11th of November.
