By Joshua Jones

THE absence of line judges at Wimbledon will be a sad sight. 

For as long as I can remember, the men and women decked out in their Ralph Lauren outfits have been part of the furniture at the All England Club. 

Yes, they provided some mild entertainment on the court when one would call “fault” with plenty of extra, and unnecessary, gusto and volume that boomed around Centre Court, prompting a snigger from the fans.

Then there was the ongoing game of dodgeball they had to play when a big serve nailed a mammoth ace down the line and they had to take rapid evasive action or take a whack to the top of the head. 

And challenges provided some audience participation, excitedly joining in the clapping countdown before the inevitable “oooh” when the graphic showed just how close the ball was to landing in or out. 

Purely objectively, Wimbledon’s decision to replace line judges with Hawk-Eye Live makes total sense. 

The accuracy and consistency of calls in real-time will speed things up, save time and should mark the end of arguments over the tight incorrect calls – well, until the technology malfunctions.

And Wimbledon’s hand was somewhat forced to ditch tradition for their standing in tennis.

The Australian Open and US Open already use electronic line calling and the ATP Tour is adopting Hawk-Eye Live across all of its tournaments from 2025.

Wimbledon’s refusal to comply would leave them lagging behind and exposed to the threat of needless controversy over human error.

But the impact – as is so often the case in these decisions – has ramifications further down, below the surface with very little impact on Wimbledon’s Championships or the players.

It is on the line judges themselves. 

Approximately 300 officials – aged from 18 to 80 – covered more than 650 matches at Wimbledon.

A fraction travel internationally with the circuit but the vast majority of those are part-time line judges based in the UK, earning up to £180 per day to work at the prestigious tournament and their chance to play their part at Wimbledon. 

For many, they will help out at British tournaments throughout the year, spurred on by the possibility of taking to the lawns of the All England Club.

But it is understood many of those officials would be reluctant to work at the lower-level tournaments without the carrot of Wimbledon dangling in the summer. 

That in turn will put a major stumbling block in the pathway for British tennis umpires, who grind up through the ranks to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

Like football with referees, tennis needs umpires and line judges.

So the inability to call “out” at Wimbledon could prove to be a major “fault” for the future of the UK’s tennis officials and therefore the state of the sport on these shores.

WHILE the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff and Andy Murray keep us entertained during this summer’s Championships, spare a thought for those unsung heroes that keep the tournament going.

Personal trainer Alex Crockford, now 33, served as a ball boy at Wimbledon in 2005 and 2006, and has lifted the lid to SunSport on what it’s really like.

“Standing still for hours is one of the toughest parts of being a ball boy,” he says.

“It’s quite strict and you don’t want to let your team down or feel like you’re doing a bad job.

“I remember one really hot day, I clearly hadn’t fuelled or hydrated myself appropriately.

“I did have a very faint moment, and started seeing blurry stars.

“There are six BBGs on the court and a captain, which was me, so I was standing to the left of the umpire chair and I was away from my water.

“I had to go outside of my position, get some water and re-balance myself before I could continue.”

Click here to read Alex’s ball boy story in full.