"Just looks so wrong"; "Soulless" - No line judges at Wimbledon after AI takeover rubs fans the wrong way on Day 1

The 2025 edition of Wimbledon has overseen a major change, choosing to employ electronic line-calling instead of line judges. This decision to stray from tradition hasn't gone down all too well in the tennis community, many of whom have advocated for matches to be called by line judges.

The English Major kicked off Day 1's proceedings with Electronic Line-Calling (ELC) on all courts, which meant that for the first time in 148 years, it would not be using line judges on its courts for "Out" and "Fault"' calls. Several other tournaments have also moved to automated line-calling systems recently, including the Madrid Open, the Italian Open, and the Stuttgart Open.

Tennis fans on X (formerly Twitter) have since been irked by AI-powered technology's inclusion at the third Grand Slam tournament of the year.

"Day one and the rise of the robot line judges is facing opposition," a journalist reported on X (formerly Twitter).

One fan rued the absence of the suited line judges while speaking out about the "wrong" optics of the above move.

"Without line judges #Wimbledon just looks so wrong," one fan wrote on X.

Another fan, meanwhile, blasted the All England Club for their apparent "utter woke nonsense".

"No line judges at @Wimbledon this year, Utter woke nonsense 😭," they suggested.

One more fan insisted that machines making the on-court calls was "soulless" relative to actual line-calling by humans.

"Not to sound like a reform voter but #wimbledon needs to bring back the line judges, game's soulless when the decisions are made by cameras," they wrote.

A few others emphasized how the grasscourt Major's decision to break away from tradition had upset them.

"The All England Club has gone for tiresome AI faux accuracy over beautiful human frailty," one fan claimed. "We want our country back, We want line judges back, Enough is enough," a Reform MP wrote. "Call me a traditionalist but Wimbledon isn’t the same without the line judges," another suggested.

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Wimbledon CEO Sally Bolton defends decision to shun line judges

Carlos Alcaraz and Fabio Fognini walk onto Centre Court | Image Source: Getty

Earlier this week, CEO Sally Bolton insisted that adopting technology and innovation was in-line with the English Major's hopes of "evolving the tournament" through most effective line-calling.

"The decision we’ve made there is very much about the way in which Wimbledon has always balanced heritage and tradition with innovation and how we walk that line. We’re always very conscious of that," CEO Sally Bolton said (via UbiTennis). "It’s about evolving the tournament and making sure that we’re providing the most effective possible line."

Bolton then spared a word for the people who had previously worked at the All England Club as a line judge.

"Calling the line judges have been such an important part of the championships for so many years, and we hugely appreciate the service that they’ve provided," she added.

The action on the first day of the grasscourt Major began in fine fashion on Monday (June 30) as top seeds Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka opened their campaign.

Edited by Pritha Ghosh