While almost the entire professional circuit adopts electronic refereeing, Roland Garros remains faithful to its line judges. An assumed choice, between respect for traditions and defense of a certain romanticism of French-style tennis.
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Roland Garros still reluctant to technology
The only Grand Slam that is played on clay, Roland Garros is the last of the four Majors to resist the arrival of ELC (Electronic Line Calling) on the professional circuit. With the traces of the impact of the ball on the surface, the organization considers that it is not necessary to implement this system.
Roland Garros has also confirmed in a statement that the linesmen will still be present in May 2026 to perpetuate the tradition of the tournament: «In the 2025 edition, 404 referee officials were present. Among them were 284 French representatives from all the leagues in France.
These referees and linesmen are rigorously selected from approximately 30,000 officials in France, who referee throughout the year in leagues, departmental committees and clubs affiliated with the FFT. “This decision contributes to the uniqueness of Roland Garros, which is the last Grand Slam tournament to be based on line judges.”
The line judges at Roland Garros, a historical tradition
However, most players advocate that the automated system also be established in the French capital. Ben Figueiredo, director of hawk-eye innovations in tennis, understands the situation.
«It is the tournaments that decide if they want to use it or not. I know that Roland Garros likes to keep the line judges and see the referees get out of their chairs to go see the mark.
«The French really wonder if they really need it. Their referees are very experienced. In the four corners of the world, audiences have different ties to traditions.
Simply seeing the referee come down and show the mark to the players helps perpetuate this tradition. If Roland Garros decides to install hawk-eye, where all decisions are made in real time, the tournament will lose that human side,” adds Christopher Clarey, sports journalist and tennis author.
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Last modification on 09/12/2025 at 8:53 p.m.
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