The 2025 edition of Wimbledon is fast approaching, but there is going to be a major change.
Spectators and viewers will be surprised to see no line judges on the courts.
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This is the first time that humans won’t be calling balls in or out during Wimbledon’s 147-year history.
Why are there no line judges at Wimbledon?
It was announced in October 2024 that Wimbledon would replace line judges with technology.
The Australian and US Open have been without line judges since 2021 and 2022.
The French Open are yet to make the change, but the All England Club have made the switch.
In a statement, the All England Club’s chief executive Sally Bolton said: “The decision to introduce Live Electronic Line Calling at The Championships was made following a significant period of consideration and consultation.
“Having reviewed the results of the testing undertaken at The Championships this year, we consider the technology to be sufficiently robust and the time is right to take this important step in seeking maximum accuracy in our officiating.
“For the players, it will offer them the same conditions they have played under at a number of other events on tour.
“We take our responsibility to balance tradition and innovation at Wimbledon very seriously.
“Line umpires have played a central role in our officiating set-up at The Championships for many decades and we recognise their valuable contribution and thank them for their commitment and service.”
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Electronic Line Calling [ELC] has been around for a while, but Wimbledon had tried to maintain traditions.
However, they’ve eventually decided to change.
The line judges have claimed they weren’t told about the switch until the announcement, while many have since given up because their dream of officiating at Wimbledon is gone.
To counter that, Bolton argues that they were always going to be replaced.
She said: “I think they — and I wouldn’t speak for them individually — probably recognise that with the evolution of the technology and the consistent change across many of the other tournaments that this is probably inevitable.
“So, I think for many of them they had expected this change to come along and for those that will be joining us for the Championships in the match assistant role obviously they’re delighted still to be part of delivering the Championships.”
ELC is compulsory at ATP events and mixed tour-level events as well.
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Wimbledon 2025: Date and how to follow
Wimbledon will begin on Monday, June 30.
The tournament will be played over 14 days, with it coming to a close on Sunday, July 13.
The men’s singles final is scheduled for the final day of play.
Meanwhile, the women’s singles final will be held a day earlier on Saturday, July 12.
Start times for each day will be confirmed closer to the tournament.
But last year, action got started at 11am on outer courts and 1pm on show courts, so things are expected to be similar this time around.
The entirety of Wimbledon will be broadcast free-to-air on the BBC.
Coverage will be split between BBC One and BBC Two, as well as online via BBC iPlayer, the BBC website and their mobile app.
talkSPORT will have live updates from SW19 throughout the tournament too.
To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.
You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.
On top of that, talkSPORT.com will be across all of the latest news and build-up.
