The recent Wimbledon Championships saw a notable incident on Centre Court involving the newly introduced electronic line-calling system, which erroneously deactivated during a crucial game. Organisers at the All England Club have issued an apology after the system failed to register three calls in a single game during the fourth-round match between Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Sonay Kartal.

The most contentious moment occurred when a backhand from Sonay Kartal went clearly long. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, having observed the ball's trajectory, stopped play, expecting an "out" call. However, no audio call was made by the electronic system. Chair umpire Nico Helwerth, unaware of the system malfunction, halted play. Initially, the All England Club stated the system was "deactivated on the point in question" due to "operator error." Subsequent investigations revealed the technology was "deactivated in error on part of the server's side of the court for one game," resulting in three missed calls on that side. The Club assured full confidence in the technology's accuracy, attributing this specific failure to human error and stating that processes have been reviewed and appropriate changes made.

Under the rules, if the electronic line-calling system fails, the chair umpire is supposed to make the call. If the umpire cannot determine the ball's status, the point is replayed. In this instance, Helwerth, after a telephone consultation, announced the system "was unfortunately unable to track the last point" and ordered it to be replayed. Kartal subsequently won the replayed point and then broke serve to take a 5-4 lead. Despite Pavlyuchenkova ultimately winning the match, her frustration was evident. She publicly questioned why the umpire, who she claims also saw the ball out, did not make the call himself, instead opting for a replay. "You took the game away from me... they stole the game from me. They stole it," she told the umpire. She expressed concern that the umpire might have been hesitant to make a significant decision, especially with Kartal being a local player.

The incident has intensified scrutiny of the automated line-calling system, which was implemented at Wimbledon for the first time this year, replacing traditional line judges. Several players, including Britain's Emma Raducanu and former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic, have voiced concerns about the system's accuracy, with some calls described as "dodgy." While some players, like former world number one Iga Swiatek, expressed general trust, the topic has been widely discussed in the locker room. Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash found it "mind-boggling" that the chair umpire did not call the ball out, given its obvious trajectory. He emphasized the umpire's role in such situations. Pavlyuchenkova suggested that tennis should adopt video checks, similar to football's VAR, to review points, arguing its necessity for major events given this wasn't an isolated incident. She reiterated that umpires should be empowered to take initiatives and make definitive calls, otherwise, she joked, matches could "just play without them." Under the current system, unlike the previous one with line judges, there are no player challenges or video replays available.

This incident highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the integration of technology in sports, balancing accuracy and efficiency with human judgment and the perceived fairness of competition.