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At Wimbledon, the Human Eye Keeps Dropping the Ball

Andy Murray was a victim.

Bianca Andreescu was too.

Jiri Lehecka had to play a fifth set and essentially win his third-round match twice.

Hawk-Eye Live, an electronic line calling system, could have saved the players their set, even their match, but Wimbledon doesn’t use it to its full extent, preferring a more traditional approach. The rest of the year on the professional tours, many tournaments rely exclusively on the technology, allowing players to know with near certainty whether their ball lands in or out because the computer always makes the call.

But when players come to the All England Club for what is widely regarded as the most important tournament of the year, their fates are largely determined by line judges relying on their eyesight.