Subject: Hawk-Eye proves tennis umpires and linesmen have better eyesight than players

Hawk-Eye proves tennis umpires and linesmen have better eyesight than players

You cannot be serious! Oh yes we can, Mr McEnroe: the umpires and linesmen of the world of tennis have much better eyesight than the players, a fact for which they rarely get credit.

Famous for his disputes with officials over whether a ball was in or out of the court, the one-time enfant terrible of Wimbledon was more likely to be wrong than right, a scientific study has found. John McEnroe wouldn’t agree, of course.

Using evidence from the Association of Tennis Professionals, George Mather, of the University of Sussex, has concluded that while players and line judges can be prone to error when assessing where a ball has bounced, because of what he calls “inherent limitations of human perceptual vision”, the officials are significantly more accurate.

Dr Mather conducted his research after the introduction in 2006 of the Hawk-Eye electronic line-calling system, which has revolutionised the sport. Today, many of the sport’s biggest courts are equipped with instant replay screens that supply quick-fire judgment on where the ball has landed — to within three millimetres.

Read more on The Times Online