Disputed line calls have long been a part of tennis. Making calls on balls that land close to the line traditionally relied on the accuracy of the human eye, but recent technology has changed the way some calls are decided in the professional game. The technology is used when a player challenges a call.
The Technology
The Hawk-Eye Officiating System aids line judges and chair umpires in tennis matches by confirming or correcting calls that they make on shots close to the line. The system incorporates a minimum of eight cameras connected to a computer system to chart the path of the ball on each shot and where it touches the court. As Hawk-Eye Innovations describes on its website, the system triangulates information from each camera to create a 3D position of the ball in each frame of video.
Use in Tournaments
A traditional sport like tennis might be expected to resist the intrusion of such technology, but when the system performed flawlessly in International Tennis Federation testing, the equipment began to find its way to major professional events, according to the Hawk-Eye site. The U.S. Open in 2006 was the first Grand Slam event to use the system, followed by the Australian and French Opens and Wimbledon in 2007.
The Process
It's important to note that the Hawk-Eye system is not consulted for each shot in a match. Line judges still call the lines on every point, with the computer coming into play only when a player challenges a call. Players are permitted two challenges per set, losing one only if they challenge a call that was correct, as reported on ESPN.com. In the event of a set reaching a tiebreaker, each player receives one additional challenge.
Strategic Use
Players acknowledge using their challenges strategically. Andy Roddick told ESPN that he would be far less likely to use a challenge on a call if he was down love-40 on his opponent's serve than if the questionable call occurred when he had a break point against his opponent. Kim Clijsters also commented that she uses the challenge only when she's virtually certain it will be overturned. She believes they are too valuable a resource to waste.
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