Australian Open: Electronic line-calling will replace linespeople as part of COVID-19 safety measures

Expect a sharp decline in angry verbal exchanges at the Australian Open after confirmation the tournament will feature electronic line-calling in place of linespeople.

The Australian Open will be the first grand slam to replace linespeople with Hawk-Eye Live technology on every court in another COVID-19-related safety measure.

Tennis Australia has confirmed the decision to News Corp after weeks of public murmuring about the move.

Community heroes from every state and territory – including front-line workers in the pandemic response – have pre-recorded ‘out’, ‘fault’ and ‘foot fault’ calls for players, fans and viewers alike.

The electronic line-calling initiative will reduce the number of people required on-site at Melbourne Park and, at this stage, it’s a decision just for this year’s tournament.

However, it’s set to be used at ATP and WTA events throughout this year and potentially at the other grand slams, after the US Open used it on all but its two major show courts last year.

Roger Federer has words with a lines judge last year.

The technology is delivered via remote tracking cameras around the court, automatically sending the audio line calls in real time.

“The Australian Open will be the first grand slam tournament to introduce live electronic line-calling on all courts, including the major stadiums,” tournament director Craig Tiley said.

“I’m delighted this initiative will also help to shine a light on those who work tirelessly, and so often without recognition, to keep our community safe and healthy.”

The initiative means player challenges won’t be a feature of this year’s Australian Open, and will likely significantly reduce angry verbal exchanges with chair umpires.

World No.1 Novak Djokovic wants the electronic line-calling move to be permanent.

“We have seen that technology in New York for the first time and it went smoothly – there was no room for human error,” Djokovic said.

Novak Djokovic is a fan of electronic line-calling.

“I am not a person who adores technology and cannot live without it, in some regards technocratic society has gone too far, in my opinion, but if we in tennis can be more efficient and precise, why not?”

Djokovic suggested event organisers could, in the long term, find a way to incorporate people who once volunteered as line umpires in other roles.

Kevin Anderson, who succeeded Djokovic as ATP Player Council president, also backed the system, saying it “takes out any of the guesswork”.

TA’s made an effort to acknowledge those impacted most during the pandemic and last year’s devastating bushfires, including renaming lead-in events in honour of regional areas.

A ‘Behind the Line’ tribute will introduce community heroes at the Australian Open, which starts on Monday, and they will be featured as the official line-calling voice in each match.

Aussie star dedicates Open assault to biggest fan

-Scott Gullan

He’d been alongside her every step of the way which is why Lizette Cabrera knows when she looks into the stands next week there’s going to be moment where it will hit.

Her father, Ronnie, first put a racquet in her hand when she was old enough to hold one, he then nurtured her game from an early age and worked in a Brisbane abattoir to fund her development.

He was a tennis fanatic who simply loved the sport to the point where he wouldn‘t talk about anything else.

Lizette Cabrera lost her dad to cancer last Sptember.

Unfortunately in September, Ronnie Cabrera passed away after a battle with cancer.

“It was the toughest thing I have ever gone through,” Cabrera says.

”It has definitely given me more perspective on court just because my Dad loved tennis.

“Whenever someone brought up me or my tennis it was like, ‘Stop talking’. He would love this time of year.

“At the Brisbane International he would be at the courts from morning until late at night just watching tennis.

“It‘s going to be weird, this is my first Australian Open without him . . . it definitely gives me extra motivation as I just want to make him proud of me.”

Cabrera, 23, had to make a dash home from the United States to be by his bedside after playing in the first round at Flushing Meadow where she lost in three sets to Danka Kovinic.

With the help of Tennis Australia and the Australian Government, she was able to get a flight home and then an exemption in quarantine to be by her father‘s bedside.

“I was in the US and then I pulled out of the French Open and it was a crazy time trying to get a flight home,” Cabrera said.

“I managed to get home but then I was in quarantine. I managed to an exemption to go and see him for two or three hours a day.

Lizette Cabrera with her doubles partner Maddison Inglis at this week’s Yarra Valley Classic.

“I made it back on the Sunday and he passed on the Friday. I‘m so glad I made it back as it was such a really tough time for my family.

“Mentally to be around them as I know I wouldn‘t be where I am today without him.”

Her mother, Maria, will be in the stands at Melbourne Park when she makes her fourth appearance at the Australian Open after receiving a wildcard.

Currently ranked 140, Cabrera made a career-high ranking of 115 last year after making the quarter-finals of the Hobart International.

She is confident a pre-season spent training alongside world No.1 Ash Barty in Brisbane has her equipped to break her Grand Slam drought.

“It was pretty cool to have the world No.1 in Brisbane and we get to hit with her,” Cabrera said.

“She‘s just so normal and down to earth. She is just so super professional, takes care of the little things and always works super hard and never really complains.

“You can learn so much from just being around her.”

Rusty signs fail to wipe smile off Barty’s dial

It was only an exhibition but Ash Barty looked like an Australian Open frontrunner and a long way off during a topsy-turvy match against Simona Halep in Adelaide on Friday night.

In a clash between the world’s top two players, No.1 Barty showed her usual craftiness to take the first set 6-3, only to produce a slew of unforced errors in the second, which she lost 1-6.

Unlike Romanian Halep, Queenslander Barty did not have to quarantine for a fortnight in the lead-up to A Day At The Drive, but she looked a little rusty late and ultimately fell 10-8 in the super tie-break.

Ashleigh Barty started strongly set against Simona Halep. Picture: Getty Images

It has been 43 years since an Australian woman’s triumph in their home Grand Slam and Barty will know she has plenty of work to do over the next week if she is to end that drought.

She said she not only enjoyed being back at Memorial Drive, a year after her Adelaide International triumph, but it was great to return to the court in general following 12 months off, having not played at the French or US opens.

Barty joked doing it once before helped make it easier, referring to her hiatus from tennis in 2015.

“I’m so excited to get started next week and it was the perfect preparation coming here,” Barty said post-match. “Obviously I’ve trained over the last few months but nothing to replicate what we just did out here.

“It’s a little bit of execution of course we’d like to get right but I just enjoyed it, which is the most important thing.”

Simona Halep won the decisive tie-break to edge out Ashleigh Barty. Picture: Getty Images

Friday night’s finale was played in great spirit but a notch down in intensity to the Rafael Nadal-Dominic Thiem tussle that preceded it.

There were plenty of smiles between Barty and Halep, and both of them had a crack at tweeners. Halep with success in the first set, although she did not win the point.

Barty’s attempt went well wide later in the match.

Halep’s night finished with a mix of cheers and jeers after announcing her support of Port Adelaide Football Club to the crowd.

Her coach, Darren Cahill, is a Power board member and the son of Port Adelaide great John Cahill. “It’s wonderful to be back here and it’s always a pleasure,” Halep said.

SA fans would have been hoping to see Barty and Halep in the final of last year’s Adelaide International.

Barty is a fan favourite across the country and although Halep is Romanian, she is something of an adopted South Australian. Instead Halep went down to Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-final and Barty went on to claim the title.

Ashleigh Barty was delighted to be back on the court. Picture: AFP

NADAL GETS DOWN TO BUSINESS

Adelaide might have watched next month’s men’s Australian Open winner on Friday, not just due to the city’s more lax quarantine measures that allowed players based here to train at Memorial Drive.

But because SA had all three of last year’s triumphant male Grand Slam players feature in the A Day at the Drive exhibition and two of them in particular tuned up at a very high level.

That duo was Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem, whose night match finished 7-5, 6-4 to the Spanish superstar in just under 90 minutes.

Four of their previous six meetings had been in quarter-finals or deciders of Grand Slams.

Friday’s encounter was not at the intensity of a clash deep into a major, but it was far from the relaxing affair one might expect from an exhibition.

Rafael Nadal was in good touch against Dominic Thiem. Picture: AFP

And much more entertaining than the Henri Leconte versus Mansour Bahrami legends matches that were a fixture for years in the City of Churches.

Especially when players only emerged on Friday morning from 14 days of quarantine.

No doubt the four or five hours a day of training in Adelaide would have helped, but Nadal and Thiem clearly both took the match seriously and showed little sign of rust.

They were frustrated at errors, made challenges and Nadal even pulled out a mini fist pump after a passing shot winner at 4-3 down in the first set.

Their competitiveness in an exhibition would not have surprised tournament director Alistair MacDonald, who this week said the duo did not know how to play any other way.

And it was Nadal, who prevailed to end a two-match losing run against Thiem while looking ominous ahead of next month’s Open.

It was 12 years ago that the Spaniard won his only crown at Melbourne Park and he joked post-match that “almost everybody forgets about that”.

“This year is a special one and I’ll keep trying my best,” Nadal said.

Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal were all smiles after returning to the court after 14 days in quarantine. Picture: AFP

Nadal, now 34, refuted the suggestion he was getting better with age but said he still enjoyed his tennis and wanted to continue competing at a high level.

“Last two weeks have been great – of course it’s not ideal to stay 14 days in quarantine, but that’s the way that we need to do things today,” he said.

As for Thiem, he said winning his first major at last year’s US Open had relieved pressure that had built after losing three Slam finals, including twice at Roland-Garros to Nadal.

“I wanted that title so much,” Thiem said.

“I finally got it … and I also hope there are great things waiting for me in the future.”

Given his recent run of testing Nadal, his run to the final last year, where he lost to Adelaide’s other 2020 Slam winner, Novak Djokovic, and some of his play on Friday night, a second major success next month would not surprise for the Austrian.

SERENA STILL HAS TRICKS UP HER SLEEVE

The queen of tennis still has some tricks up her sleeve as Serena Williams dug deep to outgun Naomi Osaka in Adelaide.

While both were still rusty at times, the match-up between the 23-time grand slam winner and the new star of the sport turned into a slug-fest and went all the way to a 10-point third-set tie-breaker.

Naomi Osaka in action against Serena Williams. Picture: Getty Images

After some wayward serving cost her the first set 2-6, Osaka came out firing in the second to claim it 6-2 herself and looked to have all the momentum going into the tie-breaker.

But Williams’ experience and brute force came to the fore, as she seized momentum of the breaker midway through it and while Osaka saved three match points the American emerged victorious 6-2, 2-6, 10-7.

Williams spoke of how crucial getting a match in the first day out of 14-days in quarantine would be in her bid to equal Margaret Court’s 24 grand slam titles in Melbourne next month and she would have been pleased with her first hitout of 2021.

Especially how she responded to Osaka’s dominant second set to bounce back in the tie-break.

The 23-year-old spoke earlier in the week about how Williams was still her idol and how she was still “intimidated” by her.

Serena Williams was in good form to start the summer. Picture: Getty Images

But Osaka had Williams on the ropes in the second, not only superbly returning her powerful shots - drawing applause from the American herself — but creating clear cut winners of her own.

The mistakes Williams was making, misjudging the flight of the ball or just shanking a simple winner, had her looking shocked at times.

But there’s a reason why she has won 23 grand slam titles, and Williams showed that in the cutthroat final set as she kept her cool under pressure and used her power to get a second win in a row over Osaka and even up their head-to-head record.