Wimbledon ‘looks like bad Photoshop’, says ex-top judge as AI replaces humans

A top former Wimbledon line judge has hit out at the tournament’s switch to automated calls, saying it makes the court “look like bad Photoshop”.

Pauline Eyre, 58, from Finchley in north London, officiated at 16 Wimbledons between 1988 and 2003, serving on Centre and Court One during finals and high-profile matches including Goran Ivanisevic vs Andre Agassi and Serena vs Venus Williams.

She told the PA news agency she initially supported the idea of AI line-calling – but changed her mind after watching it in action this week.

“When I first heard about it, I wasn’t that bothered – I thought it might improve standards,” she said.

“But as I’ve been watching the matches, I’ve changed my mind completely. I think it’s a terrible shame.”

“It looks like bad Photoshop – like they’ve removed an essential part of the furniture,” she said.

“Line judges are part of how Wimbledon looks.”

She pointed to Jelena Ostapenko’s match against Sonay Kartal on Monday, saying: “Ostapenko turned around after being foot-faulted – whipped round to have a go – and there was nobody there. ”

With the crowd noise on big courts, she said the absence of visual confirmation from a person adds to player confusion.

“Players are standing there saying: ‘Was that in? Was that out?’ You don’t get the immediate reaction – the fist pump – because they don’t know.”

Ms Eyre added: “The sadness for me is that sport should be about people.

“The best sportspeople are the ones who overcome adversity – pigeons, crowd noise, pressure.

“Line judges were bloody good at what they did.

“They’re there for no other reason than to escort players on and off the court.

“They were always dressed like butlers and that’s basically what they are now.

“So many of my friends have told me they are watching the tournament  this week and just feel a deep sadness.”

She said many of her former colleagues feel unacknowledged: “I don’t think Wimbledon fought hard for them.

“They were such a massive part of the tournament – and it doesn’t feel like they were valued.”

Despite the criticism, she said the tennis remains high quality: “The sport is still wonderful.

“I’ve got used to them not being there – but I’m not happy about it.”