Roland Garros - one of the most prestigious Grand Slams in world tennis will start on June 8. However, unlike many other tournaments, both in tennis and other sports, the Roland Garros organizing committee still uses sideline referees to determine whether the ball is out or not, instead of using electronic sensors.
In tennis, the Wimbledon organizing committee has applied some technology instead of humans. The World Association of Tennis Workers (WTA) and Women's Tennis Workers (WTA) also did the same with some tournaments in their system. However, the French Tennis Federation - the champion Roland Garros - still emphasizes the human factor.
People may not want to give everything to technology, but if I have to choose between the two, I will support the application of technology. It is more accurate, more time-saving and more man-made, the AP quoted Djokovic as saying.
Djokovic was left out of the 2020 US Open for hitting the referee, due to anger after a missed shot. Like Wimbledon, the remaining two Grand Slams, the US Open and the Australian Open, have eliminated the wing judges in turn, to replace them with machines.
However, according to AP, it will be very difficult for Roland Garros to fully grasp the technology in the coming time. Unless all the athletes tell us they wont compete without machines, we dont think that playing with refereees will be maintained, said Gilles Moretton, president of the French Tennis Federation, proud of the difference of Roland Garros and confident in the quality of his referee team.
2023 US Open Women's Championship champion Coco Gauff supports Djokovic's opinion. She shared: "What I mean is, if we have technology, we should use it."
However, with the characteristics of the clay field, where the ball is clearly shown, many people still want Roland Garros to maintain their own characteristics. It is a controversial decision when the ball in or in the yard, the referee will come to see the ball before making a final decision.
Thats what makes clay special, in a way, that you can always look back at your shots. For me personally, I am not afraid to play on clay with human judgment rather than a robot, said famous tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas.
