Emma Raducanu has urged Wimbledon chiefs to address what she sees as a major flaw in this year’s Championships after her third-round exit to world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Friday night.
Raducanu bowed out in straight sets after a gutsy display on Centre Court, losing 7-6, 6-4 in a match that lasted just under two hours. But the British star left SW19 with a pointed message for the tournament’s organisers, calling on them to review the accuracy of the new Electronic Line Calling (ELC) system.
Wimbledon has introduced ELC for the first time this summer, removing traditional line judges in favour of fully automated calls. However, Raducanu believes the system has made ‘very wrong’ calls throughout her run, echoing concerns raised by Jack Draper and Carlos Alcaraz earlier in the tournament.
‘It’s kind of disappointing, the tournament here, that the calls can be so wrong,’ Raducanu said after her defeat. ‘For the most part, they’ve been okay. It’s just, like, I’ve had a few in my other matches, too, that have been very wrong. So yeah, I don’t know. Hopefully they can kind of fix that.’
Raducanu queried a tight call during the first set against Sabalenka, appearing visibly frustrated as she discussed the decision with the chair umpire. It was one of several moments across her three matches where she felt let down by the technology.
Draper, Britain’s men’s No 1, and world No 2 Alcaraz have also questioned the system, with Draper saying: ‘I don’t think it’s 100 per cent accurate, in all honesty.’ Alcaraz, during his win over Jan-Lennard Struff, told the umpire: ‘I would have asked for a challenge… I’m not sure about some calls.’
Emma Raducanu was knocked out of Wimbledon on Friday despite a battling performance
British star Raducanu was beaten 7-6, 6-4 by world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Centre Court
Wimbledon is not using line judges at this year’s Championships, having replaced them with AI
Tournament director Jamie Baker defended the technology, insisting it is ‘as accurate and reliable’ as officiating has ever been in tennis.
Raducanu had hoped to continue her impressive run at SW19 after comfortable wins over Mimi Xu and Marketa Vondrousova, and she gave Sabalenka a stern test.
The 22-year-old saved seven set points in a gripping first set and stormed into a 4-1 lead in the second before Sabalenka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, fought back to take the match.
Sabalenka was full of praise for Raducanu, saying: ‘She played such incredible tennis and pushed me really hard. I’m happy to see her healthy and back on track. I’m sure she will soon be back in the top 10.’
