The pandemic forced measures to be taken in all areas of daily life and also in some sports, such as tennis. Already last year the United States Open surprised by replacing the linesmen with an electronic system of extremely high precision. On that occasion the two main courts were out of this measure. Nevertheless, This year the coverage was complete and also a total of seven of the nine tournaments of the US Open Series, the tour that precedes the last Grand Slam of the year, were added.
One of the happiest with the move was Novak Djokovic. The world number one was disqualified last year at Flushing Meadows for hitting a linesman, a reckless maneuver, despite the Serbian had no intention. Precisely the situation occurred at Arthur Ashe, one of the two courts that did not have this technology. “With all respect for the tradition and culture of this sport, I don’t see a reason why all tournaments on the circuit, in such a technologically advanced era, don’t have what we had in Cincinnati or New York. “he claimed weeks later. And he added: “The technology, while expensive, is so advanced today that there is no reason why we should keep the linesmen on the track.”
Along the same lines was Dominic Thiem, who also at the time squared with Nole. “Let no one be offended, but with technology there are no mistakes and that is good. If the electronics say that the ball has come out, it means that it has come out; there is no room for mistakes and, in that sense, I think we are going in the right direction ”, he declared.
That wish was heard by the Australian Open organization, which this year also implemented the measure. Although he also had detractors, such as Rafael Nadal. The Spanish prefers the traditional and did not hesitate to express it. “The players can be left alone on the court, at a technological level it would not be a problem. I like that the human part intervenes in what is sport, because it brings more value and has more grace, “he said when asked.
One of the most important Chilean judges that tennis had was Pedro Bravo. Dedicated to the production of events, the former referee of grand slams, ATP and Olympic Games, among others, also has his opinion on the matter. “That results in several things. On the one hand, it is won in fairness, because the technology brings precision and there are no claims, which makes the game more boring. But the most important part is the human capital that stops joining the sport, since not all those people are there, this component decreases ”, he says. And he bases it in the following way: “Becoming a linesman in a tournament like the US Open is a high point in the career of any referee and working there is a great incentive, since you learn how to solve problems in an instance like that.”
Bravo remembers a particular study that was carried out a few years ago. “A questionnaire was made and the main question was why people went to tennis, and the majority responded that it was to see the interaction between players and referees “, expresses. Although he affirms that this has been decreasing, because “tennis players are becoming calmer and everything is very professionalized”.
