Why are line judges no longer used at Queen's?
You might have noticed something missing from the courts at Queen's Club this year - where have the line judges gone?A familiar sight around the edges of the courts for decades, the men and women who shout "out" and "fault" have been replaced by electronic line calling.Electronic line calling uses cameras, computers and sensors to track a ball and is used by tennis umpires to judge whether a ball is in or out.This season the men's tour - the ATP - has adopted the technology across all of its events, while the WTA - the women's tour - has also been using it at many of its events. A combined men's and women's event, such as Queen's, offers an easy opportunity for the technology to be used across the two tournaments. The ATP said the move to electronic line calling was to "optimise accuracy and consistency across tournaments, match courts and surfaces".A new women's event at Queen's started on Monday, while the men's tournament follows at the same venue a week later.
What about Wimbledon?
Wimbledon will end its 147-year use of line judges this summer, relying solely on electronic line calling.The technology will be in place for qualifying and the main draw.Roland Garros is the only Grand Slam tournament that still uses line judges and players are not allowed to use electronic replays to challenge human decision.The French Open want to maintain traditions synonymous with the 134-year-old tournament and are unwilling to lose human control.This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.
What is Ask Me Anything?
Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions.We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.The team will find out everything you need to know and be able to call upon a network of contacts including our experts and pundits.We will be answering your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and going behind the scenes at some of the world's biggest sporting events.Our coverage will span the BBC Sport website, app, social media and YouTube accounts, plus BBC TV and radio.
More questions answered...
Why female tennis players are returning to Queen's after half a centuryWhen does the tennis grass court season begin?Why does French Open not have electronic line calling?
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