Wimbledon Cites Human Error For Line-Call Failure In Pavlyuchenkova-Kartal Match

Last Updated:July 07, 2025, 18:00 IST

Wimbledon officials blamed human error for a technical failure during Pavlyuchenkova's match. The electronic line-calling system was deactivated, causing a replayed point.

Pavlyuchenkova arguing with the match referee at Wimbledon (X)

Wimbledon officials have blamed human error for a technical failure that marred Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova’s fourth-round victory over Britain’s Sonay Kartal on Centre Court.

The All England Club apologised to both players after it was revealed that the tournament’s electronic line-calling (ELC) system had been inadvertently deactivated for one game during Sunday’s match, allowing a clearly out ball from Kartal to go unchallenged.

An investigation revealed that the system had been mistakenly turned off on a portion of the court, with the error going unnoticed until Kartal’s long shot was not called out.

The incident occurred at a crucial stage, with Pavlyuchenkova poised to take a 5-4 lead in the first set. Instead, umpire Nico Helwerth ordered the point to be replayed, and Kartal went on to win the game.

Pavlyuchenkova voiced her frustration on court, suggesting the call was biased in favour of the British player: “Because she is local, they can say whatever. You took the game away from me."

Wimbledon later confirmed the mistake: “The system had been deactivated in error by those operating it. During that time, three calls were not picked up by live ELC. Two were called by the umpire, who was unaware the system was inactive. After the third, the chair umpire consulted the review official and ruled the point should be replayed."

Officials Respond, Rule Out Return of Line Judges

Sally Bolton, Chief Executive of the All England Club, said the technology itself was sound: “The system was working optimally. The issue was human error — the system had been inadvertently deactivated, and the chair umpire wasn’t informed."

She added, “We’ve spoken to the players, apologised, and reviewed procedures to prevent a recurrence."

Wimbledon introduced a fully automated line-calling system in 2025, joining the Australian and US Opens. Despite concerns from players like Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper, Bolton said there are no plans to reinstate human line judges.

“The system was functional. We didn’t need to put line judges back — we needed the system to be active," she said.

Automated technology is now standard at all ATP events and many WTA tournaments. Wimbledon employs around 80 former line judges in support roles, but not for line-calling.

(with AFP inputs)

Siddarth Sriram

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term...Read More

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term...

Read More

News18 Sports brings you the latest updates, live commentary, and highlights from cricket, football, tennis, badmintion, wwe and more. Catch breaking news, live scores, and in-depth coverage. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated!

Location :

First Published:

News sports Wimbledon Cites Human Error For Line-Call Failure In Pavlyuchenkova-Kartal Match