Wimbledon faced major embarrassment during Sonay Kartal’s match against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova when an official accidentally deactivated the AI line-judging system mid-game. The incident left critical calls unaddressed, forcing chair umpire Nico Helwerth to halt play. With the score tied and tensions high, players were left uncertain in what proved to be an embarrassing moment for tournament organizers. Former champion Pat Cash criticized the umpire’s inability to act, calling the situation “ridiculous.”
The All England Club admitted the mishap stemmed from human error and reviewed its processes afterward. This AI glitch comes amid rising player complaints about inaccuracies, raising concerns over its efficacy, especially on grass courts. Questions persist about Wimbledon’s reliance on technology without backup video review systems.
