One of the cameras of the Hawk-Eye system installed at the SM Krishna Stadium in Bengaluru for the Billie Jean King Cup playoffs this week.
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: With days to go for the Billie Jean King Cup playoff ties in Bengaluru, the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association has installed the Hawk-Eye and an electronic line-calling system for the event at the SM Krishna Stadium here, making it the first time that such equipment is used at a tennis event in India.
This also means that the human line judges will not be present at the three-day event, as was the case during this year's Wimbledon, due to the installation of similar systems. Chair umpires will continue to be part of it.
Electronic line calling uses a system of cameras and computers that automatically track a ball's trajectory to determine if it landed in or outside the line. The Hawk-Eye system, on the other hand, uses multiple cameras to create a 3D model of the ball's path. The system is familiar with players competing in Major events.
"It's the first time in India that a tennis tournament is using Hawk-Eye and an electronic line calling system, so it's going to be a different experience for the spectators (to see no line umpires)," KSLTA joint secretary Sunil Yajaman told DH.
The Hawk-Eye system is brought in by the tournament organisers while KSLTA has installed the electronic line calling system.