Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic disagree over controversial Wimbledon call

Wimbledon will introduce electronic line calls and remove line judges from 2025, but not everybody is on board with the decision - including two of the sport's all-time greats

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have disagreed in the past over proposals to get rid of line judges for electronic calls, as Wimbledon confirmed the change for 2025.

The hallowed grass courts of SW19 will see a tech revolution next year, but not all the sport's heavyweights are cheering. Djokovic has long been a proponent of reducing human error in the game and has been vocal about embracing technology over traditional methods.

Nadal, on the other hand, have proved himself to be more old-fashioned when it comes to tennis officiating. And the Spaniard may be disappointed the All England Club is doing away with 300 line judges in order to move with the times.

Back in October 2020, Nole made his feelings clear: "With all my respect for the tradition and the culture we have in this sport, when it comes to people present on the court during a match, including line [judges], I really don't see a reason why every single tournament in this world, in this technological advanced era, would not have what we had during the Cincinnati/New York tournaments."

This statement came hot on the heels of Djokovic's infamous default from the US Open. His frustration led to him inadvertently hitting a line judge in the throat with a ball during his fourth-round match against Pablo Carreno Busta.

Meanwhile, Nadal has spoken out in favour of keeping line judges on-court despite the growing trend towards using technology for line calls. The Spanish ace, who has clinched a record 14 French Open titles, made his feelings clear in the past - not that it's likely to affect him for much longer.

"I don't want to create controversy, but I think the traditional court with line judges looks much nicer," he said in response to Djokovic's 2020 remarks. "Novak said line judges were not needed. All opinions are respected. There are different visions of the sport, but for me I like it less without line judges."

The 38-year-old went on to expressed his view that line technology doesn't necessarily enhance the game's appeal, stating it wouldn't "improve the spectacle of our sport." However, others may argue the precision of line technology, which can make calls within one-tenth of a second, would indeed improve the viewing experience.

While line judges can be more error-prone and have to dodge powerful serves, potentially impacting their calls, line technology offers players the chance to challenge decisions using Hawkeye. The debate continues to split opinion among fans and professionals alike, with tennis legends like Nadal and Djokovic finding themselves on opposing sides of the argument.

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