A dramatic technology failure at Wimbledon on Sunday disrupted Sonay Kartal’s match against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, forcing an unexpected stoppage after an automated line calling system failed to detect an ‘out’ call.
During the first set, Kartal sent a ball long past the baseline, but the system failed to signal the ball as out. Play was halted while the umpire consulted with his courtside phone, unable to immediately resolve the issue. The match resumed after the decision was made to replay the point, despite Pavlyuchenkova’s protests.
Frustration Over Technology’s Role at Wimbledon
If the electronic system had properly acknowledged the out call, Pavlyuchenkova would have won the game, but the point was replayed after the system was restored to full functionality. The Russian player, visibly upset, was heard complaining, “They’ve stole a game from me. They’ve stole it.” Despite the controversy, the match continued without further incident.
Though line judges are still available at Wimbledon in case of technical difficulties, they were not called into action during this incident. In 2025, the All England Club eliminated 300 line officials in favor of the automated system, which aims for enhanced accuracy but has faced scrutiny for occasional errors.
British tennis star Emma Raducanu, who also competed at Wimbledon this year, voiced her dissatisfaction with the technology after her own controversial exit. Reflecting on a similarly incorrect call against Aryna Sabalenka, Raducanu expressed her frustration, commenting that some of the calls during the tournament had been “very wrong.”
In October 2025, the All England Club made the decision to replace all line judges with live electronic line calling, aligning itself with other major tournaments like the Australian and US Open. While the technology is intended to improve precision, Raducanu’s comments indicate that there is still room for improvement.
Despite the criticism, Wimbledon’s chief executive Sally Bolton reassured the public that the technology had become “sufficiently robust” and the club is committed to “maximum accuracy” in its officiating methods.
