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Tennis Week Home | Search | Contact Us December 07, 2005 SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS FEATURES Headlines Message Boards Story Archive ATP Approves Electronic Line Calling By Tennis Week 12/07/2005 MEMBERSHIP Sign Up / Login The ATP Tour has approved the use of an electronic line-calling system for 2006, but has not yet finalized the challenge system players will use to question calls. The USTA has requested the ATP, WTA and ITF work together and reach a consensus on a standard challenge system before electronic line calling is introduced at a Grand Slam tournament or Tour event. LINKS TENNIS HALL OF FAME Tennis Week Store TW Favorite Links Subscribe Bionova Tennis Skin Care Australian Open Hotels: Quest On William Wimbledon Hotels: Mansley Apartments Roland Garros Hotels: Hotel & Residence du Roy Tennis Welcome Centers Nike Tennis Camps College Tennis Connect-The Ultimate College Directory Line calling technology will make its debut Down Under this month at an exhibition event. The Hyundai Hopman Cup will be the first International Federation event to use Hawk-Eye, the ball tracking system that has made history as the first — and only — electronic line-calling system to meet ITF accuracy standards. The 2006 Hopman Cup will be held at the Burswood Dome in Perth, Australia, December 30-January 6th. ATP Chairman Etienne de Villiers said he will lead a group of ATP officials in a trip to New York in the coming weeks to meet with USTA executives and discuss exactly how electronic line calling will be used in professional tennis. "We approved the use of electronic line-calling for 2006, but the Board decided to delay a decision on the exact protocol (unlimited challenges, or limited) until we’ve had further discussions with the WTA Tour, ITF and the U.S. Open," de Villiers wrote in an email to ATP tournament directors obtained by Tennis Week. "This was at the request of the USTA, who wants us to work together to determine if we can settle on a common or similar system across tennis. Richard Davies, Mark Young and I have scheduled a trip to New York in December to discuss it and other topics with the USTA." The meeting with USTA officials strongly suggests the U.S. Open will be the first Grand Slam tournament to use an electronic line-calling system in 2006. USTA officials had hoped to introduce Hawk-Eye for use at the 2005 U.S. Open, however the system did not pass an ITF accuracy test until after the Open. U.S. Open tournament committee member and former world No. 1 Jim Courier said last week there is a "90 percent" chance the USTA will use line-calling technology at the U.S. Open next August. "I think that's what we need to do to catch tennis up to the rest of the world of sport," Courier said in a London press conference to promote the Champions Masters. "This is a step in the right direction." The Hawk-Eye line-calling technology, which uses cameras to track the ball’s trajectory and sends information to a virtual reality machine, has been used at Grand Slam and ATP Tennis Masters Series events for the past three years, but only on television as an analytical tool for commentators. The British-based Hawk-Eye ball tracking system has made history as the first — and only — electronic line-calling system to meet International Tennis Federation accuracy standards in a series of tests conducted at http://www.sportsmediainc.com/tennisweek/index.cfm?func=showarticle&newsid=14392&bannerregion (1 of 3)07/12/2005 14:58:26 Tennis Week Player Rankings Player Web Sites Tennis Resorts Online Pro Schedule TV Schedule Advertising Info Editorial Calendar About Us Wynne Tournaments Arthur Ashe Stadium on the grounds of the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows in October and was officially approved by the ITF on October 12th. "I'm a big proponent of Hawk-Eye," Courier said. "I think it's a wonderful addition, not only for the players, but more importantly for the fans." Widely regarded as the most experimental of the four majors, the U.S. Open was the first tournament to introduce a prime-time final by staging the women's final on the final Saturday night. The Australian Open followed suit last January when it held its men's final in prime time on Sunday night. It is possible the Australian Open will also use an electronic line-calling system, though Tennis Australia officials have suggested privately they want to wait until 2007 until the system has been thoroughly tested and used at the U.S. Open. Hopman Cup tournament director Paul McNamee, who is also Australian Open Chief Executive, told Tennis Week Tennis Australia officials do not plan to use Hawk-Eye at the 2006 Australian Open, but Tennis Australia has not ruled out the possibility of using the technology in the future after it has been tested in tournament play. "(It is) highly unlikely we'll use (Hawk-Eye) in January," McNamee told Tennis Week. "But (we will) certainly consider (it) for future (use)." Australian Open officials want to see Hawk-Eye function in tournament competition as a testing ground so that potential problems with the system can be be resolved before it is implemented in Grand Slam play. However using it at Hopman Cup will provide players and officials the opportunity to experiment with Hawk-Eye. Tennis Australia officials told Tennis Week the TA is receptive to using the system in the future after it has been adequately tested in tournament play. "(We will not use Hawk-Eye) this year, but it (is) something we certainly see as being introduced to the sport in the future," a Tennis Australia official told Tennis Week. "We would like to see the system mature before implementing it at Grand Slam level. We do not believe that during a Grand Slam that it is appropriate to test any new feature. We may, however, be looking to do some testing after the event." Hawk-Eye has been used as a tool for television analysts at Hopman Cup for the past three years. Dr. Paul Hawkins, founder and managing director of Hawk-Eye, is confident the system is ready for tournament play. "The ITF were delighted that we met their criteria with flying colors and, indeed, pushed the bar higher," Hawkins told Tennis Week. "We're delighted and proud to accept the responsibility to take the sport forward. Tennis needs accuracy in line calling and Hawk-Eye can provide it. We're thrilled that we were rewarded for all our hard work by passing the ITF's accuracy tests and now any event can use Hawk-Eye. We look forward to working with the tournaments." Hawk-Eye has already taken its technology to televised tennis. If you've watched ESPN's tennis coverage then you've already seen Hawk-Eye at work. Branded "Shot Spot" by ESPN, Hawk-Eye earned an Emmy award in the "Outstanding Innovative Technical Achievement" category in 2003. The Emmy award came two years after Hawk-Eye claimed Britain's Royal Television Society award for technical innovation. Related Story: Technology Passes Test: ITF Approves Hawk-Eye http://www.sportsmediainc.com/tennisweek/index.cfm?func=showarticle&newsid=14392&bannerregion (2 of 3)07/12/2005 14:58:26 Tennis Week copyright Tennis Week, 2004 A Sports Media Network Web Site http://www.sportsmediainc.com/tennisweek/index.cfm?func=showarticle&newsid=14392&bannerregion (3 of 3)07/12/2005 14:58:26