Line judges replaced by the AI, invisible sensors, predictive algorithms and “hawk eyes”: here is all the technology that runs on the Wimbledon tennis courts.
The most traditionalist tennis tournament in history is giving way to the most advanced technology. Since 30 June, in the London district of the same name in Wimbledon, the racket stars are challenging each other on the most famous grass of sport, but also within an arena where data, algorithms and digital sensors now have an increasingly central role.
The greatest novelty is that for the first time in its ultra -hundred year old history The tournament will say goodbye to the line judges in flesh and bloodreplaced by an automated system based on artificial intelligence and on the famous “Hawk-Eye”, a hawk eye. Not only that: chatbots arrive on the sidelines that dialogue with spectators in real time, predictive apps and invisible sensors.
No judges. From this edition, “The Championships” becomes the third Grand Slam tournament to completely eliminate the line judges, iconic figures known for their “Out! “ screamed and for the impeccable elegance. The so -called is used in their place Elc Live (Electronic Line Calling Live), A network of very high precision cameras arranged around the fieldable to trace the movement of the ball with a margin of error lower than the millimeter. The system reconstructs the three -dimensional trajectory of the sphere in real time and establishes whether or not it has touched the white lines, attributing the point in a fraction of a second. This turning point – introduced by the ATP in almost all tournaments on the calendar, except for some of those that take place on red earth (where the ball leaves a visible mark) – also eliminates the possibility for players to contest an arbitration decision: Artificial intelligence decides definitively and instantaneouslya novelty that, if on the one hand has increased the efficiency of the game, on the other has removed a pinch of theatricality and tension at the time of verification. For now remain in your place the chair judge (the referee of the meeting), but also this figure in the future could soon become superfluous.
Chat with IA. Another invisible, but fundamental, innovation is represented by the piezoelectric sensors integrated into the game network, capable of capturing the minimum contact of the ball with the tape, reporting with a “beep” the possible need to repeat the joke. But the news not only concern the field: between a volée and an ace, spectators will be able to consult Match Chata virtual assistant based on an integrated IA in the official tournament app.
Developed by IBM, the chatbot is trained on the technical language of tennis and on the editorial style of Wimbledon, so as to provide detailed responses and accessible statistics. Just ask “Who got more break points?” Or “who is using better?” To dialogue with the IA in real time. Match Chat constantly analyzes the data of the game – First balls percentages, unremely forced errors, game times – and translates them into information immediately available and always updated. The goal is to offer each fan, even to the less experienced ones, an immersive and interactive experience.
Top and flop updates. On the Wimbledon app is also present Likelihood to win, A predictive algorithm that establishes the probability of victory of the players, calculated on the basis of pre-match statistics and updated “live” with the data collected during the game, point after point. If during a hypothetical final Sinner should have 62% of the possibility of beating Alcaraz, that number will change by progressing the game, offering a dynamic and compelling analysis.
So all beautiful? Not exactly. Not to convince, for example, were some experiments, already set aside by the organizers. The first was linked to the telechronache generated by the AI, tested in 2023, is immediately canceled because of the excessive emotional coldness of the digital voice. Furthermore, the function also Catch me upoften inaccurate, has been removed. It consisted of a summary intended for those who started following a match already started, but, even in this case, there is still a lot of work to be done. The direction, however, is clear: between tradition and innovation, Wimbledon is always confirmed at the forefront.
