On the billboard in the center court of the Busan Open Challenger, a bout between players and referees surrounding in and out unfolds. The Electronic Line Call, commonly known as Hawkeye, is installed in the center court to provide spectators with a spectacle for the Busan Open.
Players shout “Challenge” when the referee’s call is different from their thoughts, and the ELC reads in and out on the screen immediately.
In the early days, installing the ELC system cost hundreds of millions of won just for one side of the court, so it was a service that could not be dreamed of in a challenger tournament. However, this year’s Busan Open installed the ELC system for free. IMG Arena, which acquired Plyscope last year, made a big decision. 메이저사이트
The ATP has decided to introduce a live ELC system to all competitions from 2025. Accordingly, IMG Arena, a latecomer, needed a competition to test-operate the live ELC system.
Accordingly, IMG Arena made an offer to the Seoul Open and Busan Open in Korea. The Busan Open not only saved tens of thousands of won in costs by using the ELC system for free, but also provided spectacle to the fans, and IMG Arena was a win-win negotiation with the opportunity to operate the live ELC system.
In the ELC system, the line umpire makes the first call and electronic judgment is made only when there is a player’s challenge, and the live ELC system means that all line calls are made by the machine without the line umpire.
Companies that operate ELC systems worldwide include Hawkeye in the UK, Cryonet in Italy, and Paxten and IMG Arena in the US.
On the tennis court, the line umpire will soon disappear and the live ELC system will do all calls. Machines are replacing humans.