Hawk-Eye to replace line judges at Next Gen Finals in Milan

Last updated on .From the section Tenniscomments50

Hawk-Eye technology at Wimbledon
Hawk-Eye technology was first used at Wimbledon in 2007

Line judges will be replaced by Hawk-Eye technology at the inaugural Next Gen Finals in November.

For the first time at an ATP event, the umpire will be the only official on court at the tournament in Milan.

The decision has been described as a possible "landmark moment" for the sport by ATP official Gayle David Bradshaw.

The tournament will feature the top eight players aged 21 or under and takes place from 7-11 November.

Germany's world number four Alexander Zverev, 20, has qualified for the event after winning two Masters 1000 titles this year.

Shorter sets and a shot clock are among the ideas that will also be trialled at the event.

Hawk-Eye allows players to use video replays to question line calls. It was first used at Wimbledon in 2007.

At the Next Gen Finals, decisions will be final and players will not be able to challenge calls as they do at most tournaments via Hawk-Eye playback.

However, marginal calls will still be accompanied by a visualisation on screens around the stadium.

Foot-faults, usually called by judges positioned in line with the baseline, will be decided by a review official using a camera to monitor the server's feet.

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  • Comment posted by Foxes, at 17:16 18 Sep 2017

    no point in line judges when the technology is there to call everything spot on

  • Comment posted by Steve, at 17:43 18 Sep 2017

    Sounds sensible. We have the technology, let's get it right at a smaller tournament like this and then start using it at the highest level.

    No point allowing the risk of human error ruining a player's chances.

    I am, however, concerned that they will also be trialing shorter sets and a shot clock. Both of these seem like bad ideas that will take the sport in the wrong direction.

  • Comment posted by Dr Stevie G, at 17:59 18 Sep 2017

    This is a good idea whilst the system is working. But what happens if it goes wrong? Are they going to have actual people in reserve?

  • Comment posted by Sammy, at 19:37 18 Sep 2017

    #18 mb14
    You've missed Nadal's full preserve routine... bounce ball, tuck hair behind ears, pull underwear out of bum crack, repeat until your opponent's fallen asleep...
    I can't even watch him now.

  • Comment posted by Joel, at 16:40 18 Sep 2017

    Think this is a great idea - tennis needs to come into the 21st century. Though I'm not sure I fully understand. Will it be used like Cyclops at Wimbledon where it'll beep and say a ball is out? But otherwise think it's a neat idea using the Milan tournament as a guinea pig for different ideas. But the sooner I stop hearing #NextGen, the better...

  • Comment posted by scamper, at 19:30 18 Sep 2017

    "Shorter sets and a shot clock are among the ideas that will also be trialled at the event." Shorter sets? For heavens sake, is this to suit those who have an attention span of a goldfish? So many of the women's matches are so one-sided they often last less than an hour anyway. Can't they just leave the game as it is?

  • Comment posted by Paul, at 18:08 18 Sep 2017

    Never mind the robot, it's the other rule changes that are the real difference for this event.

  • Comment posted by U16227783, at 18:09 18 Sep 2017

    Great idea...serve clock for some of the head working time wasting players like Jokervic, Nadal....bouncing the ball a zillion times....get on with it !

  • Comment posted by MagpieRH, at 19:58 18 Sep 2017

    @11 - Hawk Eye in cricket is used to predict the trajectory of the ball, hence the "umpire's call" on marginal decisions.
    In tennis, the ball has landed, there's no guesswork involved. That means it can absolutely be used for something like this, in the same way it and similar systems judge whether a ball has crossed the goalline in football.

    @15 - Originally British, now owned by Sony.

  • Comment posted by captainstripes, at 17:12 18 Sep 2017

    But who/what will make the initial call? Is the umpire going to leave the players to decide for themselves, shout "out" himself OR will Hawk-Eye suddenly shout "oooooouuuuuuttt" when the ball is out?

  • Comment posted by greysquaill, at 21:48 18 Sep 2017

    Some of the comments here seem to suggest they'd rather allow for human error in tennis for the sake of keeping line judges in employment. As sad as it might be, if we have the technology, we should progress.

    As a side note, can we replace boxing judges with robots please? They'd probably do a better job than the human ones in the GGG v Canelo fight over the weekend.

  • Comment posted by footyfan94, at 20:58 18 Sep 2017

    Should be a fantastic tournament. Zverev at 20 has already won two Masters, beating Federer in the final of one and Novak in the other. Coric 20 already has 2 wins against Nadal and 2 against Murray. Shapalov has only just turned 18 yet has already beaten Nadal in a match in August this year at the Candadian Masters. Looking forward to seeing all these guys compete near the top for years to come.

  • Comment posted by RememberScarborough, at 23:14 18 Sep 2017

    Wonder if Hawk eye can be hacked? Watch out for players entourages to include a pale , bespecacled bloke...

  • Comment posted by Geordieboy, at 20:19 18 Sep 2017

    Will someone then force the French to use Hawk-Eye and save us from the stupid situation of the umpire jumping down to point at a random ball mark?

    Also, when will the women start playing 5-set matches at Grand Slam tournaments? That should be done rather than shortening matches. All in the name of equality you understand.

  • Comment posted by Old Edwardian, at 17:57 18 Sep 2017

    This is great news for a British company with a fantastic invention.

    It has transformed cricket and may do the same for tennis.

  • Comment posted by Fabby, at 17:48 18 Sep 2017

    I don't understand this. Tennis is perhaps the only sport which has got technology completely right. 3 challenges is ample and pretty much eradicates any error. Why change it and ruin the spectacle, as well as potentially, over time, decrease jobs in the sport?

    Don't like it. Keep tennis as it is!

  • Comment posted by LeeC22, at 01:11 19 Sep 2017

    "Shorter sets..."

    So this is how they will *manufacture* equality is it? Handing women the power to say "But we are playing 5 sets, just like the men" by forcing the men to underplay themselves is hardly equal.

    Female marathon runners run a full marathon, women's football plays for 90 minutes, so what is it about tennis players, that makes them so incapable by comparison?

  • Comment posted by captainstripes, at 17:17 18 Sep 2017

    OK I get it. There will be NO CHALLENGES AT ALL.

    But still, who/what will make the initial "OUT" call??

  • Comment posted by Ali, at 16:49 18 Sep 2017

    Lots of news of these Next Gen Finals but, as usual, the BBC looks to be showing none of it online or on TV.

  • Comment posted by David B, at 08:03 19 Sep 2017

    Been wondering for years why this hasn't happened before. Matches have been decided by bad line calls when a player has run out of challenges.

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