Novak Djokovic does not need to worry about accidentally hitting a US Open line judge with a tennis ball between points this year because there are not to be any line judges — chair umpires are to be the only on-court officials at the Grand Slam tournament’s matches.
The US Tennis Association (USTA) and the sport’s two leading professional tours, the ATP and WTA, on Monday announced that Hawk-Eye Live electronic line-calling would be used for all competition courts at the US Open this year and at seven of the nine US Open Series events preceding it.
A year ago, the USTA relied on the automatic system and dispensed with line judges at the US Open, except for matches at Flushing Meadows’ two main courts: the Arthur Ashe and the Louis Armstrong stadiums.
Photo: AP
During a fourth-round match at Ashe against Pablo Carreno Busta in September last year, Djokovic was defaulted from the US Open for inadvertently hitting a line judge in the throat with a ball after dropping a game.
It was a shocking and abrupt stop to Djokovic’s 29-match winning streak and his bid to add to his Grand Slam title collection.
After losing a game to trail 6-5 in the first set, Djokovic angrily swatted a ball behind him with his racket — and it went directly at the line judge.
Tournament referee Soeren Friemel ruled that the match — and Djokovic’s participation in last year’s US Open — would end there.
The Australian Open, which Djokovic won in February for his 18th major championship, did not have any line judges on any courts.
Not surprisingly, Djokovic said that he approved.
“I actually am in favor of technology. I think it’s proven to be very accurate in this particular instance,” he said at Melbourne Park when asked about ending the use of line judges. “I don’t see a reason why we need the line umpires, to be honest, if we have technology like this.”
The US Open Series tournaments that are to rely entirely on electronic line-calling this year are the events in Atlanta, Georgia; Washington; Toronto; Montreal; Cincinnati, Ohio; Cleveland, Ohio; and Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Manchester City on Monday completed the signing of left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a reported ￡31 million (US$41.8 million). The 24-year-old Algeria international has signed a five-year contract and will be available for the FIFA Club World Cup, which begins later this week. Ait-Nouri is expected to be just one of a trio of new City faces for that tournament with deals close to completion for AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and Olympique Lyonnais playmaker Rayan Cherki. After missing out on a major trophy in the recently completed season for the first time since 2016-2017, City are hoping
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in has pleaded with South Korea fans to get behind the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more boos were aimed at coach Hong Myung-bo despite leading them to qualification. South Korea reached next year’s finals in North America without losing a game, but that does not tell the whole story. The country’s soccer association has been in the firing line, having scrambled about to find a successor after sacking the unpopular Jurgen Klinsmann in February last year. They eventually settled on Hong, the decorated former skipper who had an unsuccessful stint as coach in 2013-2014, during which
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
RSS