Wimbledon replaced human line judges with electronic line-calling systems in 2025.
The change ended a 147-year tradition at the All England Club. Live Electronic Line Calling was introduced across Wimbledon’s main-draw and qualifying courts, using camera-based Hawk-Eye technology to determine whether serves and shots were in, out or faults.
The chair umpire remained responsible for the match, score and code violations, but line judges were no longer making routine calls. This was not Wimbledon’s first use of electronic technology: ball tracking and review systems had already been used for years, including to settle player challenges.
The move followed wider changes across professional tennis. The ATP had announced tour-wide adoption of live electronic line calling from 2025, while the Australian Open and US Open had already moved away from traditional line judges. A common mix-up is to confuse the announcement in 2024 with the first tournament using the system: Wimbledon announced the decision in 2024, but implemented it at the 2025 Championships.