“Is there a worse use of technology,” Andy Murray and Victoria Azarenka lead the criticism against Umpire Head Cam at 2024 Roland Garros

The two players don't find this new technology useful in any way.

“Is there a worse use of technology,” Andy Murray and Victoria Azarenka lead the criticism against Umpire Head Cam at 2024 Roland Garros

Andy Murray and Victoria Azarenka criticize umpire body cam (Images via Imago, Tennis.com)

British tennis ace Andy Murray and Belarusian WTA star Victoria Azarenka do not like the new technology- Umpire Head Cam being used at the 2024 Roland Garros. The two players openly expressed their displeasure with this new addition to the umpiring in tennis as they found it of no use to the stakeholders of the game.

While Murray called it a “worse use of technology”, Azarenka took a jibe at the authorities for not investing in the right direction. The Belarusian ace said that instead of investing in electronic line calling and video review, the authorities are wasting resources by investing in body cams.

YouTube video
No electronic line calling or video review, but the body cams are apparently had to be the thing to make a difference!!! What a grat choice.
Victoria Azarenka posted.

Meanwhile, Murray had called the umpire’s body cam horrendous and useless.

FS Video
Is there a worse use of technology in sport than the introduction of the umpire head cam at Roland Garros? Looks horrendous from what I've seen, offers nothing to anyone involved in the match!
Andy Murray said while criticizing the new technology.

Understanding the new technology and Victoria Azarenka and Andy Murray’s reactions

The authorities at 2024 Roland Garros announced at the start of the tournament that the chair umpires will have a head cam on them. It was said that the body cam would provide the viewers with an immersive experience as they would be able to see everything from interactions with players to making the correct call by the umpires.

Chair-umpire-RG-2024
Chair umpire wearing head cam at 2024 Roland Garros (Image via Imago)

The device “brings viewers even closer to the action, enabling them to discover the umpires’ duties, as well as their interactions with players,” the French tennis federation said while introducing the technology. This addition was expected to improve the viewers’ watching experience. While there is no such feedback from the fans yet, players are certainly not liking it.

Andy Murray and Victoria Azarenka have mentioned their concerns. However, it is worth mentioning that the organizers never claimed to improve the quality of umpiring through this new technology. Also, Azarenka might have missed the fact that the Grand Slam tournaments already have electronic line calling. The only valid criticism from her side is the absence of video reviews.

The authorities have not spoken anything in that regard and players are still concerned about getting a verdict against them. Azarenka has been among the players who demand the introduction of video reviews that will help the players challenge unfair judgments.

In case you missed!