John McEnroe has provided his verdict on Wimbledon scrapping line judges in favour of electronic line calling.
The French Open is now the only major to use line judges after the All England Club decided to follow in the footsteps of the Australian Open and US Open by getting rid.
It was confirmed in October last year that, after 147 years in the role, line judges wouldn't be working at the 2025 tournament.
McEnroe, speaking to the BBC, has now provided his verdict - with the tennis legend insisting he's a fan of the new decision, despite some fans being left unhappy.
John McEnroe has provided his verdict on Wimbledon scrapping line judges in favour of electronic line calling
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The three-time Wimbledon winner said: "I had an obviously long history with linesmen, but if they have electronic equipment that works, that’s preferable.
"As fast as the balls are now being hit, to expect human beings to be able to get everyone right is a big ask, even for someone who complained a lot about it.
"Do I wish I’d had Electronic Line Calling at Wimbledon? Yes, I do.
"Actually, I’d have less white hair, and I might have a little more hair and I would have wasted less energy on that.
"Maybe I would have been more boring and I wouldn’t have been here [as a pundit], speaking to you now, and I wouldn’t have been commentating. So I got to look at the bright side.
"But there’s something in the interaction that you miss, I believe, and there’s something about that that I think people will miss.
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Wimbledon line judges are a thing of the past with electronic trackers replacing themPA"But it’s also nice to know if, in fact, it’s accurate, and hopefully it’s 100 per cent accurate, or 99.9 per cent.
"You would hate to find out later that a call that was made on match point was not accurate, that would be truly infuriating."
After announcing that the rules would be changed, Wimbledon chiefs suffered a backlash with some fans unhappy with the decision to mess with tradition.
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However, Wimbledon chief executive Sally Bolton insisted the decision had been made following a 'significant period of consideration and consultation.'
She said: "The decision to introduce Live Electronic Line Calling at The Championships was made following a significant period of consideration and consultation.
"Having reviewed the results of the testing undertaken at The Championships this year, we consider the technology to be sufficiently robust and the time is right to take this important step in seeking maximum accuracy in our officiating.
John McEnroe won three Wimbledon titles during his playing days
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"For the players, it will offer them the same conditions they have played under at a number of other events on tour.
"We take our responsibility to balance tradition and innovation at Wimbledon very seriously.
"Line umpires have played a central role in our officiating set-up at The Championships for many decades and we recognise their valuable contribution and thank them for their commitment and service."
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