Novak: Line judges are outdated

Novak Djokovic thinks it's time for tennis to let technology take over for good and eliminate line judges entirely in favor of electronic systems.

And, yes, the world No 1 made a joke about what happened at the US Open－he was defaulted after accidentally hitting a line judge with a ball.

But he was serious about the larger point he was making.

"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 umpires, I really don't see a reason why every single tournament in this world, in this technologically advanced era, would not have (automated calls)," said Djokovic on Saturday after defeating Daniel Elahi Galan 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the French Open's fourth round.

"The technology is so advanced right now, there is absolutely no reason why you should keep line umpires on the court. That's my opinion," he said. "Of course I understand technology is expensive, so it's an economical issue and a question mark. But I feel like we are all moving towards that and, sooner or later, there is no reason to keep line umpires."

At the US Open, Hawk-Eye Live was used in place of line judges at all but the two largest courts, which did have full complements of officials. It was in his fourth-round match in the biggest venue, Arthur Ashe Stadium, that Djokovic got disqualified when he unintentionally struck a line judge with a ball while walking to the changeover after losing a game in the first set.

Which is why he said with a smile on Saturday that if his idea about eliminating line judges were adopted by the sport: "Then I would also probably have less chances to do what I did in New York."

- AP