Hawk-Eye Technology

This is an old story, but an important one nonetheless. Hawk-Eye technology will finally be used at a major men's tournament. Hooray! Chair umpires will make used of the technology at this year's Masters Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall November 29th-December 4th. Hawk-Eye is the only ball tracking technology which has met International Tennis Federation approval for accuracy.

Tennis great John McEnroe sees this as a positive step forward, as do I. "If anyone's been listening to my commentary the past year then they know I'm in favor of using replay. I think it will make it more interesting," he says. "The bottom line is if the U.S. Open decides tomorrow they'll use it and if Wimbledon decides they want to use it, then they'll use it." Many observers hope the U.S. Open will employ the technology, though it is doubtful that the traditional Wimbledon will.

I believe the move to use Hawk-Eye in major tournaments is long overdue. Even if it's 90% accurate, it's more accurate than a person. As fans watching on television, we're left time and again with the feeling that a player was robbed of a point he/she should have won. Using hawk-eye will empower the players, and give a sense of fairness to the fans.