Raducanu among players questioning electronic line calls

Players have spoken of their lack of trust in electronic line calling at Wimbledon, with Emma Raducanu branding it “dodgy” and Belinda Bencic saying complaints about the technology are a topic in the locker room.

Britain’s Raducanu was particularly unhappy when a shot from Aryna Sabalenka was judged to have clipped the line midway through the first set of her defeat by the world number one on Friday.

“That call was for sure out,” Raducanu said after a closely-fought 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 loss where she went toe-to-toe with the top seed for much of the match.

“It’s kind of disappointing that the calls can be so wrong, but for the most part they’ve been OK. I’ve had a few in my other matches, too, that have been very wrong. Hopefully they can fix that. “

Wimbledon replaced line judges this year with the technology, which is being used at many other top-level tournaments, including the US Open and Australian Open.

Swiss player Bencic said she was usually a fan of electronic line calling but that at this tournament “it’s not correct”.

“I also don’t trust it,” she said. “Of course, you feel a little bit stupid questioning an electronic line call, but of course it always depends how it’s installed and how accurate it is.

“It’s not only me, you know. I feel like I’m watching other matches too, and I see players like saying the exact same thing, complaining. Or even on TV, you can see clearly some balls are out or long or something.

“We players talk about it and I think most of us have the same opinion. “

British men’s number one Jack Draper has also questioned the technology, saying after his second-round defeat by Marin Cilic on Thursday: “I don’t think it’s 100% accurate, in all honesty.

“A couple of the ones today it showed a mark on the court. There’s no way the chalk would have showed. “

Debbie Jevans, chair of the All England Club, said she was confident in the accuracy of the electronic line calling and in the decision to bring it in.

“It’s funny, isn’t it, because when we did have linesmen, we were constantly asked why we didn’t have electronic line calling because it’s more accurate than they do the rest of the tour,” she told BBC Sport on Saturday.

“The players wanted it because they were asking us, why do we have linesmen? Because of potential human error. And now we have it in situ.

“We have to think of innovation and we’re just moving with what the court and mostly what the players expect. “

It is not just the accuracy of the automated ‘out’ calls that have been questioned this week, with players saying they have also been too quiet.

Raducanu said she had not been able to hear all of the calls during her match against Sabalenka on Centre Court, where the roof was closed and the partisan fans were noisy during a gripping encounter.

“Some of them were a little bit quiet or dulled out by the crowd,” she added. “But overall you kind of have an idea if the ball was in or out. And then hope that Hawk-Eye calls it the same. “

Sabalenka agreed, adding: “It was quite loud and I think people also weren’t sure if it’s in or out. So there was a little pause and then they figured [it out] by the scoreboard. “

Jevans said the volume of the calls could be turned up but that there were no plans to do so at present.

“It’s a balance because if the stadiums full or not full, it makes a difference,” she said. “I know the team is looking at it but haven’t yet made a decision to increase the volume. Yesterday I could hear the calls. “

When there were human line judges, players could challenge the calls by using electronic reviews, which were shown on a big screen. Now the screens show replays of close calls but they can not be overruled.

Raducanu said she thought the Hawk-Eye electronic line calling system “was way more accurate back in the day when there were lines judges and you could challenge”.