Why are there no line judges at Wimbledon 2025?
The future has arrived, but not everyone is pleased about it...
After 148 years standing watching over the lawns at Wimbledon, line judges have been given a taste of their own medicine – "OUT!"
The blue-and-white-striped shirts will not feature in the tournament this year, and it's unlikely we'll ever see them again following a major overhaul at the All England Club.
Fans have already taken to social media to express their dismay at the lack of line judges at a tournament that has undergone little change over the decades to maintain its prestige as the premier grand slam in tennis.
But why have line judges been replaced? And how will players know when their ball has drifted beyond the white lines?
RadioTimes.com explains why line judges will not be seen at Wimbledon 2025.
Why are there no line judges at Wimbledon 2025?
Line judges have been replaced by an automated system implemented by other major tennis competitions around the world.
Instead of humans calling a ball out, the new system provides accurate ball-tracking technology that can alert the match umpire and players to a stray shot.
Think of the new technology as a real-time version of the Hawk-Eye challenge system, only players are not required – or able – to protest the call and will instead be alerted during play.
Yes, that also means that, as well as line judges being given the boot, rising claps to welcome a challenge replay will also become a thing of the past.
Of the 300 line judges from previous tournaments, around 80 will still be seen around courts in an assistant role for players or should the technology fail, but Wimbledon as we know it will never quite look – or feel, or sound – the same again.
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Authors
Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.
