Latest news with #JamieBaker
Bangkok Post
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Bangkok Post
New-look Wimbledon prepares for life without line judges
LONDON - Wimbledon is guaranteed to be picture-perfect when it gets under way next week but the courts will never look the same again after the demise of line judges. For the first time in the tournament's storied 148-year history, the men and women stationed at the back of the courts, calling "out" and "fault", will be missing. The Grand Slam announced in October that it was scrapping its smartly dressed officials in favour of electronic line-calling (ELC) from 2025, following the general trend in tennis. The Australian Open and the US Open have already gone down this route, leaving the French Open as the only one of the four Grand Slams still to use humans in the role. Wimbledon is cherished for its traditions, from the white kit worn by players to the strawberries and cream served to fans and the sumptuous flowers that colour the grounds. But the All England Club must balance that unique heritage with innovation. Tournament director Jamie Baker emphasised the point in an interview with AFP this week. "We are very much plugged into the wider tennis ecosystem, the wider tennis industry, on everything that we do," said the former professional player. "And this was something that we've been talking about for many years, because we could see the way that it was going. "And as you would imagine, for us, balancing the tradition with innovation is really a thing that we look at in pretty much every single decision we make." Baker emphasises that Wimbledon is careful to protect its heritage, including the "untouchable" white clothing rule, which he says is observed more strictly now than two decades ago. Competition integrity But the former British number two said the integrity of the competition was the most important element. "First and foremost for us here, we've got to get the competition aspects right, he said. "That's such an important part of everything. "And player expectation now, across the professional game at the highest level, is that the lines will be called in this way." Baker believes the people who will least notice the change are the players, who are so used to the technology. The decision to switch to live ELC, which builds on existing ball-tracking and line-calling technology, was made following extensive testing at last year's Championships. Since 2007, Hawk-Eye has assisted officials at Wimbledon on certain courts, with players able to challenge a number of calls. Its introduction added a new element for spectators. There was a buzz of excitement when the umpire signalled a video replay of a line judge's decision, followed by rhythmic clapping as it was shown on the big screen. More than 450 cameras have been installed at Wimbledon and at the qualifying tournament in nearby Roehampton this year, with machines making the decisions previously made by humans. But around 80 former officials will be employed as match assistants, with two on each court offering support to the umpire, while they will also provide back-up should the electronic system fail. So does the demise of line judges remove a bit of Wimbledon's magic? Baker thinks the opposite. "I think that's a massive positive move for us in terms of the actual look and feel of the court and the recognisable Wimbledon brand, which is green grass courts, players wearing white tennis clothes -- it's instantly recognisable," he said. "So the more emphasis that's on that, the better. But also, just if you get back to the very nature of the sport itself, it's gladiatorial, it's one-on-one, everything that happens on the stage should be focused around that."
Japan Times
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Japan Times
Wimbledon prepares for life without line judges
Wimbledon is guaranteed to be picture-perfect when it begins next week, but the courts will never look the same again after the demise of line judges. For the first time in the tournament's storied 148-year history, the men and women stationed at the back of the courts calling "out" and "fault" will be missing. The Grand Slam announced in October that it was scrapping its smartly dressed officials in favor of electronic line-calling (ELC) beginning in 2025, following the general trend in tennis. The Australian Open and U.S. Open have already gone down this route, leaving the French Open as the only one of the four Grand Slams to still use humans in the role. Wimbledon is cherished for its traditions, from the white clothes worn by the players to the strawberries and cream served to fans and the sumptuous flowers that color the grounds. But the All England Club must balance that unique heritage with innovation. Jamie Baker, the tournament director, emphasized that point in an interview this week. "We are very much plugged into the wider tennis ecosystem, the wider tennis industry, on everything that we do," the former professional player said. "And this was something that we've been talking about for many years, because we could see the way that it was going. "And as you would imagine, for us, balancing the tradition with innovation is really a thing that we look at in pretty much every single decision we make." Baker said that Wimbledon is careful to protect its heritage, including the "untouchable" white clothing rule, which he says is observed more strictly now than two decades ago. But the former British No. 2 said the integrity of the competition was the most important element. "First and foremost for us here, we've got to get the competition aspects right," he said. "That's such an important part of everything. "And player expectation now, across the professional game at the highest level, is that the lines will be called in this way." Baker believes the people who will least notice the change are the players, who are used to the technology. The decision to switch to live ELC, which builds on existing ball-tracking and line-calling technology, was made following extensive testing at last year's Championships. Since 2007, Hawk-Eye has assisted officials at Wimbledon on certain courts, with players able to challenge a number of calls. Its introduction added a new element for spectators. There was a buzz of excitement when the umpire signaled a video replay of a line judge's decision, followed by rhythmic clapping as it was shown on the big screen. More than 450 cameras have been installed at Wimbledon and at the qualifying tournament in nearby Roehampton this year, with machines making the decisions previously made by humans. But around 80 former officials will be employed as match assistants, with two on each court offering support to the umpire, while they will also provide backup should the electronic system fail. So does the demise of line judges remove a bit of Wimbledon's magic? Baker thinks the opposite. "I think that's a massive positive move for us in terms of the actual look and feel of the court, and the recognizable Wimbledon brand, which is green grass courts, players wearing white tennis clothes — it's instantly recognizable," he said. "So the more emphasis that's on that, the better. But also, just if you get back to the very nature of the sport itself, it's gladiatorial, it's one-on-one, everything that happens on the stage should be focused around that."
The Hindu
6 hours ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
New-look Wimbledon prepares for life without line judges as electronic line-calling takes over
Wimbledon is guaranteed to be picture-perfect when it gets under way next week but the courts will never look the same again after the demise of line judges. For the first time in the tournament's storied 148-year history, the men and women stationed at the back of the courts, calling 'out' and 'fault', will be missing. The Grand Slam announced in October that it was scrapping its smartly dressed officials in favour of electronic line-calling (ELC) from 2025, following the general trend in tennis. The Australian Open and the U.S. Open have already gone down this route, leaving the French Open as the only one of the four Grand Slams still to use humans in the role. Wimbledon is cherished for its traditions, from the white kit worn by players to the strawberries and cream served to fans and the sumptuous flowers that colour the grounds. But the All England Club must balance that unique heritage with innovation. Tournament director Jamie Baker emphasised the point in an interview with AFP this week. 'We are very much plugged into the wider tennis ecosystem, the wider tennis industry, on everything that we do,' said the former professional player. 'And this was something that we've been talking about for many years, because we could see the way that it was going. 'And as you would imagine, for us, balancing the tradition with innovation is really a thing that we look at in pretty much every single decision we make.' Baker emphasises that Wimbledon is careful to protect its heritage, including the 'untouchable' white clothing rule, which he says is observed more strictly now than two decades ago. Competition integrity But the former British number two said the integrity of the competition was the most important element. 'First and foremost for us here, we've got to get the competition aspects right, he said. 'That's such an important part of everything. 'And player expectation now, across the professional game at the highest level, is that the lines will be called in this way.' Baker believes the people who will least notice the change are the players, who are so used to the technology. Switching to electronic line-calling The decision to switch to live ELC, which builds on existing ball-tracking and line-calling technology, was made following extensive testing at last year's Championships. Since 2007, Hawk-Eye has assisted officials at Wimbledon on certain courts, with players able to challenge a number of calls. Its introduction added a new element for spectators. There was a buzz of excitement when the umpire signalled a video replay of a line judge's decision, followed by rhythmic clapping as it was shown on the big screen. More than 450 cameras have been installed at Wimbledon and at the qualifying tournament in nearby Roehampton this year, with machines making the decisions previously made by humans. But around 80 former officials will be employed as match assistants, with two on each court offering support to the umpire, while they will also provide back-up should the electronic system fail. So does the demise of line judges remove a bit of Wimbledon's magic? Baker thinks the opposite. 'I think that's a massive positive move for us in terms of the actual look and feel of the court and the recognisable Wimbledon brand, which is green grass courts, players wearing white tennis clothes — it's instantly recognisable,' he said. 'So the more emphasis that's on that, the better. But also, just if you get back to the very nature of the sport itself, it's gladiatorial, it's one-on-one, everything that happens on the stage should be focused around that.'
IOL News
7 hours ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Wimbledon ushers in a new era as line judges lose jobs to AI
Wimbledon will be without line judges for the first time in the 148-year history of the tournament. Image: Adrian Dennis / AFP Wimbledon is guaranteed to be picture-perfect when it gets under way next week but the courts will never look the same again after the demise of line judges. For the first time in the tournament's storied 148-year history, the men and women stationed at the back of the courts, calling "out" and "fault", will be missing. The Grand Slam announced in October that it was scrapping its smartly dressed officials in favour of electronic line-calling (ELC) from 2025, following the general trend in tennis. The Australian Open and the US Open have already gone down this route, leaving the French Open as the only one of the four Grand Slams still to use humans in the role. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Wimbledon is cherished for its traditions, from the white kit worn by players to the strawberries and cream served to fans and the sumptuous flowers that colour the grounds. But the All England Club must balance that unique heritage with innovation. Tournament director Jamie Baker emphasised the point in an interview with AFP this week. "We are very much plugged into the wider tennis ecosystem, the wider tennis industry, on everything that we do," said the former professional player. "And this was something that we've been talking about for many years, because we could see the way that it was going. "And as you would imagine, for us, balancing the tradition with innovation is really a thing that we look at in pretty much every single decision we make." Baker emphasises that Wimbledon is careful to protect its heritage, including the "untouchable" white clothing rule, which he says is observed more strictly now than two decades ago. Competition integrity But the former British number two said the integrity of the competition was the most important element. "First and foremost for us here, we've got to get the competition aspects right, he said. "That's such an important part of everything. "And player expectation now, across the professional game at the highest level, is that the lines will be called in this way." Baker believes the people who will least notice the change are the players, who are so used to the technology. The decision to switch to live ELC, which builds on existing ball-tracking and line-calling technology, was made following extensive testing at last year's Championships.
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First Post
8 hours ago
- Sport
- First Post
Explained: Why is Wimbledon moving away from line judges and how it will be managed
Wimbledon's iconic line judges will be absent from the courts for the first time in 148 years, as the tournament shifts to fully automated line-calling technology. read more Wimbledon will have no line judges for the first time in 2025 tournament. Image: Reuters Wimbledon this year will be a little different as the line judges on the courts will be missing for the first time. For the first time in the tournament's storied 148-year history, the men and women stationed at the back of the courts, calling 'out' and 'fault', will be missing. Wimbledon adopts electronic line-calling The Grand Slam announced in October that it was scrapping its smartly dressed officials in favour of electronic line-calling (ELC) from 2025, following the general trend in tennis. The Australian Open and the US Open have already gone down this route, leaving the French Open as the only one of the four Grand Slams still to use humans in the role. Wimbledon is cherished for its traditions, from the white kit worn by players to the strawberries and cream served to fans and the sumptuous flowers that colour the grounds. But All England Club feels it must balance that unique heritage with innovation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tournament director Jamie Baker emphasised the point in an interview this week. 'We are very much plugged into the wider tennis ecosystem, the wider tennis industry, on everything that we do,' said the former professional player. 'And this was something that we've been talking about for many years, because we could see the way that it was going. 'And as you would imagine, for us, balancing the tradition with innovation is really a thing that we look at in pretty much every single decision we make.' Baker emphasises that Wimbledon is careful to protect its heritage, including the 'untouchable' white clothing rule, which he says is observed more strictly now than two decades ago. How the decision to use electronic line-calling was made? The decision to switch to live ELC, which builds on existing ball-tracking and line-calling technology, was made following extensive testing at last year's Championships. Since 2007, Hawk-Eye has assisted officials at Wimbledon on certain courts, with players able to challenge a number of calls. Its introduction added a new element for spectators. There was a buzz of excitement when the umpire signalled a video replay of a line judge's decision, followed by rhythmic clapping as it was shown on the big screen. More than 450 cameras have been installed at Wimbledon and at the qualifying tournament in nearby Roehampton this year, with machines making the decisions previously made by humans. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But around 80 former officials will be employed as match assistants, with two on each court offering support to the umpire, while they will also provide back-up should the electronic system fail. With agency inputs
