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| January 28, 2007 | Sunday | Muharram 08, 1428 |
Federer gives thumbs down to HawkEye
MELBOURNE, Jan 27: World number one Roger Federer says he will never be a fan of the HawkEye electronic line-calling technology that has become a hit with the spectators at the Australian Open.
Federer, who defends his Australian title against Chile's Fernando Gonzalez on Sunday, has called HawkEye a nonsense and fears it will intrude further into the game and remove the human element from tennis officiating.
HawkEye is being used at this year's Australian Open, but only on the Rod Laver Arena centre court, where players can challenge line calls.
“I don't like it. I'll never like it. I don't think it's so necessary to have all this electronic stuff in tennis because it's going to be never ending,” the Swiss nine-time Grand Slam champion said Saturday.
“You're always going to add more and more. It's going to be crazy in the end. Honestly, I don't think it's made that much of a difference in this tournament.”
Federer says the fans may like the innovation, but he is not keen on HawkEye.
“I always say if the fans like it, it's fine. If most of the players like it, it's okay, too,” he said.
“But not everybody will like it, and I'm one of them. Yeah, as it's there to use, I'll use it as well. (But) it's not key to winning or losing.”Federer, the foremost player in contemporary tennis, said the statistics do not reveal the truth behind HawkEye's outcomes.
“I just don't like the stats of the HawkEye. People think we players are so wrong,” he said.
“We challenge so often because we really want that point badly, but we probably know that the ball is out.
“I don't think the stats show the real truth behind the HawkEye.
“Sometimes you have bad days from a linesperson, sometimes you don't have one challenge. It's not really necessary, I think.”
Federer's views on HawkEye come amid reports Saturday that the technology has led to what one newspaper said was the “most blatant abuse” of tennis's no-coaching rule during matches.
The Australian newspaper said several players at the Australian Open have been looking to their entourage in the players' box for advice as to whether they should challenge line calls.
Tournament director Craig Tiley said he had no concerns about this becoming a trend.
“It's obviously a fine line because you've always got to be alert on a player taking some kind of unfair advantage,” Tiley told the paper.
“But the umpire is still in charge of things out there an has to ensure the player code rules are upheld.”
While some players are opposed to HawkEye many others, including Maria Sharapova, James Blake and Andy Roddick, have voiced support for it during the tournament.
—AFP
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