The French Open’s refusal to adopt electronic line calling has caused plenty of drama at the Major, with several players arguing with umpires over contentious calls. However, tournament director Amélie Mauresmo remains opposed to implementing the technology, explaining why she continues to back human judgment even after a disputed call proved costly for Casper Ruud in defeat.
French Open director Amélie Mauresmo Dismisses Electronic Line Calling Technology
Ruud’s blockbuster fourth-round clash with João Fonseca stirred controversy after chair umpire Louise Engzell made a contentious call at a crucial stage of the match. With the Norwegian holding set point at 8-7 in the second-set tiebreak, the umpire ruled Fonseca’s forehand in, despite Hawk-Eye replays showing that the ball had landed out.
Engzell’s decision denied Ruud the set, and he ultimately suffered a 7-5, 7-6(8), 5-7, 6-2 loss to Fonseca. The incident drew widespread criticism across the tennis world, with prominent figures like Jim Courier, Andy Roddick, Rennae Stubbs, and Pam Shriver stressing that the controversy further underscored the need for electronic line calling.
However, Mauresmo doubled down on her support for the use of human line judges over electronic line calling, arguing during a press conference at the French Open that the technology is still not entirely reliable on clay courts.
“This question we ask ourselves after the tournament each year because obviously we stay open to everything every new technology that is available for us. The thing is that, as of today, and from what we’ve seen in the previous clay court tournaments in the last few months is that it appears that the technology on clay is not 100% reliable,” Mauresmo said.
The former world No. 1 also highlighted Ruud’s lack of surprise at the umpire’s decision as further evidence.
“Also when you see Casper’s reaction also last night, from what I see, he wasn’t shocked by the umpire’s decision. So, I think we have to keep in mind that this technology as of today is not 100% reliable,” she added.
During the match, Ruud had also called out the organizers over the sponsor blocks positioned at the back of the court, becoming the latest in a long list of players to criticize the safety risk.
Addressing the negative feedback from players, Mauresmo said they had moved the advertising boards farther back, giving players additional space behind the baseline.
“Although our courts are way bigger than what is required in the rules, we’ve made the decision to push the the blocks a little bit back to give even more space to the players. This is something we adjusted during the during the tournament,” she said.
Meanwhile, Casper Ruud had lamented the “marginal” call that cost him the second set, describing it as an “unfortunate” turn of events. Despite his disappointment, the Norwegian graciously praised João Fonseca’s “utterly impressive” game at the French Open.
