Wimbledon officials have apologised to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Sonay Kartal after a malfunction of the new electronic line-calling system on Centre Court.
Wimbledon officials have apologised to players Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Sonay Kartal following a regrettable error with the electronic line-calling system on Centre Court.
Officials acknowledged, after conducting an enquiry, that the technology was mistakenly deactivated for part of the court during a game, a blunder that only surfaced when a shot by Kartal outside the baseline was not signalled as out.
The technology mishap could have seen Pavlyuchenkova secure a 5-4 edge in the opening set, but instead, umpire Nico Helwerth ordered the point to be replayed, with Kartal eventually claiming the game.
The Russian accused the official of home bias: “Because she is local, they can say whatever. You took the game away from me.”
A Wimbledon representative issued a statement on Sunday, saying: “It is now clear that the live ELC system, which was working optimally, was deactivated in error on part of the server’s side of the court for one game by those operating the system.
“In that time, there were three calls not picked up by live ELC on the affected part of the court. Two of these were called by the chair umpire, who was not made aware that the system had been deactivated.
“Following the third, the chair umpire stopped the match and consulted with the review official. It was determined that the point should be replayed. The chair umpire followed the established process. We have apologised to the players involved.”
After her match, Pavlyuchenkova spoke with Helwerth, remarking: “It was very confusing in the beginning because the ball looked very long to me.
“It was a very crucial moment in the match. I expected a different decision. I just thought also the chair umpire could take the initiative. That’s why he’s there sitting on the chair. He also saw it out, he told me after the match. I don’t know if it’s something to do because she’s local.
“I think we are losing a little bit of the charm of actually having human beings. Like during Covid, we didn’t have ball boys. It just becomes a little bit weird and robot sort of orientated.
“They’re very good at giving fines, though, and code violations. This they don’t miss because every time any little thing, they are just right there on it. I would prefer they looked at the lines and call the errors better.”
Kartal weighed in on the matter, although unsure about the ball herself, saying: “That situation is a rarity. I don’t think it’s really ever happened.
“It’s tough luck. What can you do? The umpire is trying his best in that situation. I think he handled it fine. I think the fairest way was what he did, to replay the point.”
Despite the confusion during the game, Pavlyuchenkova bounced back, saving a Kartal set point and eventually securing her quarter-final place with a 7-6 (3) 6-4 win.
The 34-year-old quipped when asked what her reaction would be if she’d lost: “I would just say that I hate Wimbledon and never come back here.”
Wimbledon organisers are facing blushes, having firmly stood by their decision to introduce automated line calling despite the controversy surrounding removal of line judges.
Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu, Britain’s top players, have both expressed dissatisfaction with the system’s accuracy during the tournament this week.
Following her match against Aryna Sabalenka, Raducanu said on Friday: “It’s kind of disappointing, the tournament here, that the calls can be so wrong.”
In response to the incident, a Wimbledon spokesperson stated: “We continue to have full confidence in the accuracy of the ball-tracking technology.
“The live ELC system relies on the Hawk-Eye operators, the review official and the technology to work in harmony. This did not happen. In this instance there was a human error and as a consequence we have fully reviewed our processes and made the appropriate changes.”