The world's oldest clay court tennis tournament is preparing for a new era with the replacement of line judges by hi-tech cameras and fibre optics.
For 117 years, line judges – under the aegis of the chair umpire – have called the shots at the various tennis competitions held at courts around Monaco's capital that morphed into the Monte Carlo Masters.
But when the 118th edition begins on 5 April, the chair umpire will be working without human companions. Instead, they will ensure accuracy using Electronic Line Calling (ELC) Live – a system that employs cameras and fibre optics.
The change comes as the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the global governing body for men's international circuit, aims for consistency at tournaments across the world.
"We hung on to the umpire in the chair and the linesmen and women for as long as we could do," David Massey, tournament director of the Monte Carlo Masters, told RFI. "We are the oldest clay court tournament in the world and we hung on. But the ATP imposed ELC Live on us and we are embracing that."
Massey added: "We recognise that the players are looking for the best possible form of of officiating. There's a lot of fibre and there's a lot of connectivity between all the different suppliers in ELC Live. We're working to make sure that it is all installed in the right way."
The human element
"It should, in essence, deliver a really fair, consistent outcome," said Massey. "And I think the players are looking for that side of things where it is just and there is no longer human error."
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