Organizers of this year’s Wimbledon have said a ball boy caused the latest error with the electronic system that has replaced the traditional line umpires at this year’s tournament.
The incident occurred in Tuesday’s quarterfinal between American Taylor Fritz and Russian Karen Khachanov. With Fritz serving in the fourth set, the system called “fault” mid-point, forcing umpire Louise Azemar-Engzell to intervene.
After making a phone call, Azemar-Engzell asked for the point to be replayed “due to a malfunction.”
In a statement to CNN Sports on Wednesday, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) said the electronic system had not recognized the start of the point.
“The player’s service motion began while the BBG (ball boys and girls) was still crossing the net and therefore the system didn’t recognise the start of the point,” it said. “As such the Chair Umpire instructed the point be replayed.”
Replays show the ball boy retrieving a stray ball on the court as Fritz – who ended up winning the match 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4) to make the semifinals – wound up to serve. He was back in position, though, by the time the American made contact with the ball.
It comes after the AELTC apologized for another blunder in a match on Sunday, when the electronic system was turned off by mistake during Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova’s fourth-round win against Sonay Kartal on Centre Court.
During the first set, a backhand from Kartal went long but there was no “out” call from the electronic system. Pavlyuchenkova, who was one point away from winning that game, stopped playing with the ball landing outside the court.
Umpire Nico Helwerth called for the match to be paused, while the automated system said “stop, stop,” leading to confusion from both players and the fans in attendance.
The automated system did not pick up on balls landing out on three occasions in the match, with Helwerth calling the other two.
Organizers blamed “human error” for that controversy and have since altered the way the system works.
Human line judges had long been an iconic facet of Wimbledon, but organizers announced in October that the electronic calling system would be introduced at future tournaments.
The shift is in line with the rest of the tennis world – the ATP and WTA Tours have adopted the system, as have the Australian and US Opens. Roland Garros remains the only grand slam competition to use human line judges for “out” and “fault” calls.
The reaction from players at Wimbledon has been mixed, with some growing frustrated by the lack of the system’s accuracy in its tournament debut.
British players Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu, for instance, have both expressed their doubts about the system, with Raducanu calling it “dodgy.”
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