A debate on the use of artificial intelligence, as an electronic line judge, for line calls in tennis

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The human factor in decision-making in tennis, like so many sports, plays a fundamental part of its ambience and/or drama or entertainment. This is because some line calls by some line umpires can be dubious, or even incorrect. In tennis events that allow for challenges to line calls, an artificial intelligencebased referee, in the form of electronic line calling (ELC), is then used to resolve the challenge, and the result is handed out by the chair umpire. This commentary debates the merits and demerits that may be associated with the total elimination of human line umpires by em

Keywords

• AI-assisted line calls
• ATP (association of tennis professionals)
• challenges
• electronic line calling (ELC)
• line umpires (LUs) and chair umpires (CUs)