Why were line judges removed from the US Open?

Why were line judges removed from the US Open?

Why were line judges removed from the US Open

As the players are buckling up for the 2022 US Open, the USTA is sticking with its decision to use electronic line calling technology instead of line judges. This change was implemented extensively in 2021 but the USTA already used the electronic line calling technology in 2020 at the Western and Southern Open and US Open on all courts except the Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong stadium.

This decision was supported by most players on the ATP and WTA tour as it meant less doubt while questioning the call. The increase in hawk-eye technology was put in motion to incorporate fewer people into the courts during the Covid-19 Pandemic. This decision has certainly stuck with the authorities and players who find it honest and efficient. The electronic line calling system makes all the calls, even if there are some familiar sounds like the recorded voices that shout “out,” “fault” or “foot fault.”

US Open is revolutionary when it comes to employing such technologies. It was the first grand slam to use the electronic line calling system in 2006. Furthermore, it became the first grand slam to make this system available on all courts. In 2020, the CEO of World Team Tennis, Carlos Silva claimed, “I’m happy to see the U.S. Open using Hawk-Eye Live.” He further added, “Is the system perfect? Probably not. Is it close to perfect? Yes. Is it more perfect than humans? 100 percent yes.”

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Novak Djokovic- the victim of the flawed lineswoman

Djokovic struck a line judge in the 2020 US Open

The decision to remove line judges was pandemic driven but over the last few years the hawk-eye system has proven to be effective and a threat to line judge employment which is a way to the chair-umpire position. The decision did not come early enough for Novak Djokovic who, in a fit of rage, struck the line judge, Laura Clark, with the tennis ball.

This 2020 incident got Djokovic defaulted from the grand slam along with a fine of $250,000. His match against Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta was halted and so were Djokovic’s dreams of the 2020 US Open title. The USTA is holding this decision in 2022 seeing that players prefer the electronic line calling system.

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