Wimbledon officials have apologised to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Sonay Kartal after an embarrassing malfunction of the new electronic line-calling system on Centre Court.
After an investigation, organisers have admitted the technology was turned off in error on a section of the court for a game, with the mistake only becoming apparent when a shot from Kartal that clearly missed the baseline was not called out.
Had the call been correct, it would have given Pavlyuchenkova a 5-4 lead in the first set, but instead umpire Nico Helwerth ruled the point should be replayed, with Kartal going on to win the game.
The Russian accused the official of home bias, saying: “Because she is local, they can say whatever. You took the game away from me.”
In a statement, a Wimbledon spokesman said: “It is now clear that the live ELC system, which was working optimally, was deactivated in error on part of the server’s side of the court for one game by those operating the system.
“In that time, there were three calls not picked up by live ELC on the affected part of the court. Two of these were called by the chair umpire, who was not made aware that the system had been deactivated.
“Following the third, the chair umpire stopped the match and consulted with the review official. It was determined that the point should be replayed. The chair umpire followed the established process. We have apologised to the players involved.”
Pavlyuchenkova discussed the matter with Helwerth after the match, and she said: “It was very confusing in the beginning because the ball looked very long to me.
“It was a very crucial moment in the match. I expected a different decision. I just thought also the chair umpire could take the initiative. That’s why he’s there sitting on the chair. He also saw it out, he told me after the match. I don’t know if it’s something to do because she’s local.
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“I think we are losing a little bit of the charm of actually having human beings. Like during Covid, we didn’t have ball boys. It just becomes a little bit weird and robot sort of orientated.
“They’re very good at giving fines, though, and code violations. This they don’t miss because every time any little thing, they are just right there on it. I would prefer they looked at the lines and call the errors better.”
Kartal, who insisted she did not know if the ball was in or out, defended Helwerth’s handling of the situation.
“That situation is a rarity,” she said. “I don’t think it’s really ever happened. It’s tough luck. What can you do? The umpire is trying his best in that situation. I think he handled it fine. I think the fairest way was what he did, to replay the point.”
Pavlyuchenkova regrouped well after the incident, saving a Kartal set point and going on to claim a 7-6 (3) 6-4 victory and a place in the quarter-finals.
Asked how she would have felt had she lost, the 34-year-old joked: “I would just say that I hate Wimbledon and never come back here.”
The incident is hugely embarrassing for Wimbledon, with organisers having staunchly defended the innovation amid controversy over the removal of line judges.
Britain’s leading duo Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu have both complained about the accuracy of the system, which is now widely used on the tour, this week.
After her defeat by Aryna Sabalenka on Friday, Raducanu said: “It’s kind of disappointing, the tournament here, that the calls can be so wrong.”
The Wimbledon spokesman added: “We continue to have full confidence in the accuracy of the ball-tracking technology.
“The live ELC system relies on the Hawk-Eye operators, the review official and the technology to work in harmony. This did not happen. In this instance there was a human error and as a consequence we have fully reviewed our processes and made the appropriate changes.”
