Line judges have been a staple of Wimbledon through the 148-year history of the event, with the "FAULT" and "OUT" calls being synonymous with the officiating at the tournament.
In 2025, the All England Lawn Tennis Club decided to call time on the tradition of line judges to move to a more accurate live electronic line calling system.
The technology will also be used in every main draw match at the 2026 Championships and beyond, as the Wimbledon organisers try to find the balance between tradition and innovation.
SW19 chief Sally Bolton played a role in testing the technology at last year's tournament and was in favour of proceeding with it following the increased accuracy figures.
The electric line calling system uses up to 18 cameras per court, computers and sensors to follow the trajectory of the ball, similarly to Cricket's Hawk-Eye and DRS, before a specific computer figures out the position of the ball in real-time.
A 3D overview of the ball is then produced and mapped accurately using the lines on the court.
This system is used in the Australian Open and US Open too, leaving the French Open as the last to convert. The ATP also uses it across all of its events, while the WTA are increasingly using it too.
It seems inevitable that this was always going to happen as Wimbledon aims to combine history with modernity, though it is sad to see such a famous tradition lose its place at Tennis' most historic event.
