Why does French Open not have electronic line calling?
The French Open does not use electronic line calling and continues to rely on line judges and umpires - as well as using ball marks left on clay to determine whether shots are in or not.Roland Garros is the only Grand Slam tournament that still uses line judges and players are not allowed to use electronic replays to challenge human decision.There are two factors for the French Open's reluctance to change: maintaining traditions synonymous with the 134-year-old tournament and an unwillingness to lose human control."I think we are right to keep our referees and line judges at Roland Garros," said Gilles Moretton, president of the French Tennis Federation (FFT)."The federation wants to keep our referees for as long as we can. I hope we'll be able to maintain it in our tournaments in the future."
Roland Garros possibly 'better' with line judges
Electronic line calling uses cameras, computers and sensors to track a ball and is used by tennis umpires to judge whether a ball is in or out.It has been claimed the red dust layer on the clay courts of Roland Garros compromises the accuracy and reliability of the technology because it is a 'live' surface which moves during the match.But Paul Hawkins, the inventor of electronic line calling system Hawk-Eye, says the technology is accurate on the surface and it is the mark left by the ball on the clay that is not accurate."It's like a cliff edge [the plastic white line], so [the ball] can hit that part of the line and then carry on travelling forwards and not actually hit the clay until four or five millimetres beyond the line, which would then be where you would begin to see a mark on the court," Hawkins told BBC Sport."The mark on the court looks like it is out whereas actually it has clipped the line."However, Hawkins believes Roland Garros is possibly "better" without electronic line calling and says that if players looking at the mark - which has been done for more than a century - is accepted, then "it is still fair".
What technology do the other Grand Slams use?
The Australian Open and US Open - both played on hard courts - dispensed with human line judges in 2021 and 2022 respectively in favour of solely relying on automated calls.Wimbledon - played on grass - introduced Hawk-Eye technology in 2007 to enable players to challenge calls made by line judges. This year, after 147 years of line judges, the tournament is replacing them with the electronic calling system.This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.
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