PARIS—The French Tennis Federation (FFT) has confirmed that Roland Garros will continue to use human line judges for its next event, a decision that makes the clay-court major the only Grand Slam tournament to resist the full switch to automated electronic line-calling.
The stance places Roland Garros in direct contrast with the other majors—the Australian Open, US Open, and Wimbledon (which joined the automated trend earlier this year)—as well as the men’s ATP Tour, which fully adopted automated decisions for its season.
The Clay Court Debate and Trust in the Human Eye
The primary justification cited by Roland Garros organisers is the belief that the “human eye is still more reliable” for making calls on clay courts than current electronic systems. The unique nature of the clay surface is central to this argument, as the traditional system relies on line judges making an initial call, followed by the chair umpire physically inspecting the ball mark left on the dirt for verification upon a player’s challenge. The FFT suggests that this physical evidence is more trustworthy than the computer-generated estimation of the bounce point.
Preserving French Officiating Excellence
Beyond the technical debate, the FFT’s decision is deeply rooted in the preservation of its national officiating structure. FFT President Gilles Moretton emphasized that the tournament will “continue to showcase the excellence of French officiating, recognised worldwide,” stating that France provides the best officials on the tour and takes pride in its strong training system. For the Federation, the role of a line judge is seen as the vital foundation of an “officiating pyramid” that trains and develops future chair umpires, and eliminating the role would threaten this established pathway. Moretton indicated the federation’s desire is to keep line judges “as long as possible,” suggesting the ultimate pressure for a change would have to come from the players themselves.
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