The clay season is now well underway, with top players on the ATP Tour looking to book their places in Saturday’s semi-finals at the Monte-Carlo Masters. And there has been one significant change on the dirt this year, with automatic line calling now in use.
Hawkeye technology had previously been seen as too unreliable to be adopted on the clay. Instead, umpires would manually go down to the court and look at the ball marks left on the surface. But the system has been entirely automated, with an electric line calling system running the show, and one player isn’t happy.
Gone are the days of drama on the clay, when players would point out a mark and argue with officials if they disagreed with a call. It’s been smooth sailing in Monaco this week with an automated voice calling the lines.
Two years ago, the ATP Tour announced that live electronic line calling would be introduced across all matches on the circuit from 2025.
ELC live has been in place at some tournaments over the last few years, but this is the first time it is being utilised throughout the clay swing.
Most players already seem to be used to it. There have been no disputes at the Monte-Carlo Masters so far, and any close calls are shown on the big screen so players and fans can get a better view of the mark.
However, Arthur Fils believes the new rule is coming at a cost. While the Frenchman is happy to use automation on the hard courts, he says the dirt is a step too far.
“Well, I think we’re losing the charm of tennis. When I was young I remember the linesmen. There was more life going on on the court,” the world No. 15 said.
“On hard courts, it’s not as bad, but on clay court, really, I miss them. It’s nice to have the umpire’s opinion and watching, you know, the mark.
“Sometimes machines can make mistakes too. So it’s different for clay. I don’t really like it like this. I prefer to have linesmen, but I don’t think I have a choice.”
The French star’s Monte-Carlo run came to an end on Friday as he lost a tight three-setter to Carlos Alcaraz. Fils was seeking his first semi-final appearance at Masters 1000 level after reaching three consecutive quarter-finals.
But it wasn’t to be for the 20-year-old sensation. Fils blew his break lead in the decider, losing the last five games in a row as Alcaraz advanced 4-6 7-5 6-3.
The world No. 15 will now return to action at next week’s ATP 500 in Barcelona, where he will need to get used to the automated line calls on the dirt.