The start of the Wimbledon tennis fortnight immediately brings to mind the epic men’s singles final of the French Open played barely a month back. It was a final between two players who could possibly dominate the world of tennis for the next decade or so. There are others, too, who on their day can take the trophies away from them, but the completeness of their game means that these two will be incredibly hard to beat. Even the Big Three — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic — each had a surface they weren’t fully comfortable on. If it was the clay at the French Open for Federer and, to a certain extent, Djokovic, too, it was the grass at Wimbledon where Nadal cracked more often than not. Even though it’s early days, that doesn’t seem to be the case with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who seem equally at home on all the surfaces.
That final at the French Open earlier this month stands out not just for the quality of tennis but also for the sportsmanship on display. In touch-and-go situations where every point could well be the turning one, both were quick to indicate that some of the calls by the line judges were wrong and conceded the point to the other. In a time when it’s fashionable to question every call, watching two young superstars in the making concede points that could have swung a Grand Slam final was truly heart-warming. Not to speak of losing a million dollars or so, if by conceding the point, they lost the match. May the example of these two wonderful players be adopted by other sportspersons too.
What that final also showed was that today’s crowd loves a showman. So Alcaraz, the defending champion, was the crowd favourite because he would play to the gallery with his gestures. Sinner, on the other hand, was the strong, silent type just going about his business, and apart from having a go once at his coaching staff in the box in the final set, he just went about his game, showing no emotion whatsoever. There was no throwing or smashing of racquets even after the heartbreaking loss.
If the French Open relied on the keen eye of the line judges, at Wimbledon, it’s going to be AI making the line calls, which means no line judges at all. While some players have expressed their reservations, most seem to have welcomed it because, as said earlier, a line call can make the difference between winning and losing. It sure will be interesting to see how it goes, and this could well be the future at tennis events — and even in cricket, when it comes to judging no-balls. Technology has certainly helped make some decisions that would have been tough for humans.
That said, if technology is being worked and operated by humans, there’s always a slim chance of it being wrong.
For sports lovers, the fortnight promises plenty to look forward to — with Wimbledon underway and two Test matches between India and England. There’s cricket in the West Indies with Australia touring, and in Sri Lanka too, where Bangladesh is playing ODIs. So, if the rains are keeping you from work or play, don’t fret — there’s loads of sport to watch on TV. Enjoy.