Latest news with #NicoHelworth
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Wimbledon star laments 'stolen' point after major AI line judge error - and accuses umpire of pro-British bias
Wimbledon was embroiled in more embarrassing line-call controversy after HawkEye technology failed to call a ball out in a crucial game. Sonay Kartal hit a ball beyond the baseline in her fourth-round clash with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, but no call came from the automated system. Chair umpire Nico Helworth clearly saw the ball was out, and attempted to stop play, before the automated line judge called out 'Stop! Stop!' to halt the action. Intriguing scenes! Pavlyuchenkova thinks Kartal has put her forehand long and stops before the Brit slams back a winner. The umpire checks and confirms the electronic line calling system was unable to track the point, which leads to the point being replayed. #Wimbledon — BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 6, 2025 After a delay of around four minutes while Helworth sat on his court-side phone to get to the bottom of the situation, he declared: 'The electronic line-calling system unfortunately was unable to track the last point so we will replay the point.' Kartal went on to break serve, prompting a furious Pavlyuchenkova to accuse officials of favoring her British opponent. She raged: 'I don't know if it's in or it's out. How do I know? You cannot prove it. Because she is local, they can say whatever. You took the game away from me.' Helworth responded: 'The problem is that we have to go with the system. If they tell me it is up and running, there is nothing we can do. If they tell me they don't have it, that's the rule unfortunately.' 'They stole the game from me,' replied Pavlyuchenkova, who still went on to clinch the opening set. 'They stole it.' Wimbledon has been marred by dodgy calls since the controversial decision to scrap traditional human line judges in favor of AI. It has now been made even more farcical that the umpire is unable to make their own decision when the system fails.
Daily Mail
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Wimbledon forced to apologise after crucial AI line judge blunder against Sonay Kartal's opponent...with system accidentally turned OFF mid-game
Wimbledon have been forced to apologise after admitting the controversial line-calling technology failed at a crucial moment during Sonay Kartal's match with Russian star Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova because someone accidentally turned it OFF. Pavlyuchenkova accused officials of pro-Brit bias and claimed a game was 'stolen' from her during their fourth-round match on Centre Court when Kartal hit a ball clearly long but the electronic calling system (ELC) didn't call it out. The Russian was serving with advantage at 4-4 in the opening set of her victory when no 'out' call was heard. Chair umpire Nico Helworth halted play before an automated call of 'Stop! Stop!' sounded over the speakers. After a four-minute delay while Helwerth sat on his court-side phone, he declared: 'The electronic line-calling system unfortunately was unable to track the last point so we will replay the point.' Kartal went on to break serve, prompting a furious Pavlyuchenkova to accuse officials of favouring her British opponent. 'I don't know if it's in or it's out,' she raged. 'How do I know? You cannot prove it. Because she is local, they can say whatever. You took the game away from me. They stole it.' Pavlyuchenkova later revealed that Helworth had told her after the match that he knew the ball was out and suggested he was 'too scared' to make a decision. It was later revealed that the technology had been accidentally turned off by the operator leaving Wimbledon forced to apologise to Kartal and Pavlyuchenkova. A spokesperson for the All England Club said: 'Following the Pavlyuchenkova vs Kartal match, we have had the opportunity to undertake further investigation, including speaking to the players, chair umpire, Hawk-Eye operators and Review Official. 'It is now clear that the live ELC system, which was working optimally, was deactivated in error on part of the server's side of the court for one game by those operating the system. 'In that time there were three calls not picked up by live ELC on the affected part of the court. Two of these were called by the chair umpire, who was not made aware that the system had been deactivated. Following the third, the chair umpire stopped the match and consulted with the review official. It was determined that the point should be replayed. The chair umpire followed the established process. 'We have apologised to the players involved. We continue to have full confidence in the accuracy of the ball tracking technology. The live ELC system relies on the Hawk-Eye operators, the review official and the technology to work in harmony. This did not happen. In this instance there was a human error and as a consequence we have fully reviewed our processes and made the appropriate changes.'
Telegraph
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Wimbledon AI could not tell that this ball was out
Wimbledon's new AI technology had its biggest malfunction yet at a crucial moment in the fourth-round match featuring Sonay Kartal. The new line-judge technology has already come under fire from Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper – and during the first set of Kartal's clash with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the technology failed in a dramatic way. With the score four games apiece, and Pavlyuchenkova holding advantage on her service, Kartal fired a forehand way beyond the service line, with the ball appearing to be at least a foot out. But there was no intervention from the automated line-calling technology and and the point continued before umpire Nico Helworth told the players to halt play, calling 'stop, stop' mid-rally. Helworth clearly believed the ball had gone out, even though it had not been called on the electronic system. The match was paused for around four minutes as the umpire announced that there was to be a check on whether the new AI system was working properly. There was also no replay shown on the screen by Hawk-Eye, as usually happens for points deemed to be a 'close call'. After the delay, during which both players stood on court in confusion, it was announced that the point was to be replayed. The Russian player could be heard telling the umpire: 'I don't know if it's in or out. How do I know? How can you prove it? Because she is local, they can say whatever. You took the game away from me.' Intriguing scenes! Pavlyuchenkova thinks Kartal has put her forehand long and stops before the Brit slams back a winner. The umpire checks and confirms the electronic line calling system was unable to track the point, which leads to the point being replayed. #Wimbledon — BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 6, 2025 Pavlyuchenkova then lost the point and was broken in the game by Kartal. However, the Russian went on to win the first set anyway. Wimbledon broke from its 147-year tradition this year, replacing its impeccably-dressed line judges with the AI technology that has become commonplace on the tour. Both Raducanu and Draper said in their post-match press conferences that they had been subject to incorrect calls during their matches, with Draper questioning the accuracy of the technology. Two leading coaches also told Telegraph Sport that they had little confidence in the Electronic Line Calling (ELC) to make the right decisions, claiming it worked less well on grass than on the hard courts of Melbourne and New York. The claims were heavily disputed by Wimbledon, with All England Club chair Debbie Jevans saying the players had wanted the introduction of the new technology.
