Roger Federer is ready to receive serve. The camera zooms in on the suave, elegant Swiss, a global superstar. A back wall behind has a sponsor logo, just the kind of juxtaposition a company covets … except there is a person, hunched over, standing in front of the brand sign, seemingly right over the 18-time Grand Slam winner’s shoulder.
That someone is of course the lines official (at the Miami Open they wore straw hats, looking very much like the retirees at nearby beaches). A tennis court is a crowded affair, with a chair umpire, and six to seven lines officials, not to mention ball boys and girls.
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Technology could make line judges obsolete.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES |
Why, when the chair umpire can overrule their calls, and instant replay is available, does tennis not just declutter the court?
Brad Gilbert, a former top player and well-known ESPN commentator, has called for just that. But he admits, like the umpire in baseball, lines officials are part of the cultural DNA of pro tennis and it will be tough to end.
He also says cost is an issue, because all but one of over 100 pro tennis events is yet to have instant replay on every court. The technology can cost upward of $80,000 per court for several weeks, while lines people might make a few hundred dollars per day.
But that begs the question: Why have the officials on those courts that do have replay — and many tournaments are expanding the use of the technology. And clay court events don’t have replay because the ball leaves a mark, so if replay is unnecessary why are lines people necessary?
Tennis is unlikely to change its approach because lines people are so deeply rooted in the pro game. Ironically, most of the players come up through the ranks of junior tennis calling their own lines without any referees or umpires. It is only when they get to the pros, where there often is instant replay, do they get lines officials.
— Daniel Kaplan
JEFF MEESON
Senior vice president, insights and strategies, Octagon
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SUGGESTION: Use technology to resolve replays
“Replay in the NFL and MLB takes a long time, and is entirely subjective. Tennis gets it absolutely right. They use instant and transparent technology that is triggered on the field of play. What if the NFL and MLB limited replays to only those resolved by technology?”
