Are Line Judges Really Necessary?

Is the use of line judges in tennis as unnecessary as horses for modern-day transportation? Or might it soon become as obsolete? Sure, line judges add a certain zest to tennis matches, with their shrieks of "Out." And they give the umpire something to do when the line judges forget where they should be standing during tiebreakers and need some instruction.

But, really, with shot spot, couldn't the umpire, who seems to have little to do aside from calling net courts or occasionally overruling calls, simply look at shot spots of all close calls? Maybe this technology isn't available yet, though Next Gen Finals' reliance on technology rather than line judges suggests otherwise. Shot spot does seem to be unbelievably slow, particularly at the Australian Open. And the crowds seem to enjoy clapping while, as slow as a dial-up modum, shot spot shows whether the ball is in or not.

If shot spot can show whether one stroke is out though, couldn't it do so for all of them? Is the tour nudging technology in that direction? If such technology became available, it would have the advantage of being 100 percent accurate instead of the haphazard system that exists today, where players are allotted three challenges per set plus an additional challenge for a tiebreaker.

The current system results in players not challenging some questionable balls because they're running low on or have run out of challenges. If the umpire isn't going to check all calls, couldn't he or she at least check all close ones? Why make it a matter of tough luck if the player has run out of challenges and letting balls that have gone out slip by, as though they were good?

The unfairness of the present system is particularly the case in final sets when there isn't a tiebreaker, as is the case at the Australian Open. In the match between Simona Halep and Lauren Davis, which went into double-digit games, they didn't get extra challenges just because their final set ran long.

Some might say, well, shot spot might break in the middle of a match and where would you be. But I've yet to see a match where it's broken. And if it did, the match could be postponed, as with a rain delay.

Maybe line judges won't be replaced by automation. But it at least seems worth considering.