The world's oldest clay court tennis tournament is preparing for a new era with the replacement of line judges by hi-tech cameras and fibre optics.
For 117 years, line judges – under the aegis of the chair umpire – have called the shots at the various tennis competitions held at courts around Monaco's capital that morphed into the Monte Carlo Masters.
But when the 118th edition begins on 5 April, the chair umpire will be working without human companions. Instead, they will ensure accuracy using Electronic Line Calling (ELC) Live – a system that employs cameras and fibre optics.
The change comes as the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the global governing body for men's international circuit, aims for consistency at tournaments across the world.
"We hung on to the umpire in the chair and the linesmen and women for as long as we could do," David Massey, tournament director of the Monte Carlo Masters, told RFI. "We are the oldest clay court tournament in the world and we hung on. But the ATP imposed ELC Live on us and we are embracing that."
Massey added: "We recognise that the players are looking for the best possible form of of officiating. There's a lot of fibre and there's a lot of connectivity between all the different suppliers in ELC Live. We're working to make sure that it is all installed in the right way."
The human element
The revamp will end often fractious interludes where a player – often to the accompaniment of whistling and jeering from the crowd – contests the call and the umpire descends from their chair to peer and gesticulate at a particular spot among an array of blotches on the clay where the ball may or may not have bounced.
"It should, in essence, deliver a really fair, consistent outcome," said Massey. "And I think the players are looking for that side of things where it is just and there is no longer human error."
Massey, who took over as tournament director in 2023, admitted that he enjoyed the friction of those moments that will now be lost to technology.
"I thought the drama of the umpire coming down was actually part of the sport, even though you really don't want to have it. But we're embracing ELC Live because it is the future. I will miss the line umpires. I think that they brought a sort of human element to it. But at the same time, you can't blame the tour for trying to advance the level of officiating."
'A well-tested system'
ELC Live was first trialled on the hard court at the Next Gen ATP Finals in 2017 in Milan. The system gained further traction at tournaments during the Covid-19 pandemic when social distancing measures were in place.
In April 2023, the ATP announced that ELC Live would be used in its tournaments from 2025.
ATP chief Andrea Gaudenzi hailed the decision as a landmark moment for tennis. "It is not one we’ve reached without careful consideration," said the former top 20 player.
"Tradition is core to tennis and line judges have played an important part in the game over the years. That said, we have a responsibility to embrace innovation and new technologies."
ELC Live was used for the first time on a clay court at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires between 8 and 16 February.
It was also deployed at the Rio Open a week later. "Those events went very, very smoothly," added Massey. "I think it's a proven and well-tested system. So hopefully it's going to be really much more of the same for us."
Monte Carlo will be the first of the clay court tournaments offering 1,000 ranking points to the winner to use the gadgetry. The Madrid Masters and the Italian Open will follow suit with ELC Live in April and May.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, who won a third title in 2024 in Monte Carlo, is expected to defend his crown at one of the most prestigious tournaments on the circuit, after the four Grand Slam events in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York.
Former champions Novak Djokovic and Andrey Rublev are also scheduled to feature.
"Players love coming to clay after going through a hard court season," said Massey. "They come to Monte Carlo looking forward to that change of surface. It kind of changes things up again because there are the clay court specialists. I know that they love that element."
