French Open director backs line judges despite controversial call

French Open director Amelie Mauresmo has affirmed her support for human line judges, stating there are no immediate plans to implement electronic line-calling technology at Roland Garros. This stance follows a contentious moment during Casper Ruud's fourth-round match against Joao Fonseca.

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As of today, the machine is not 100 percent reliable, so we continue to place our confidence in human officials.

During the second-set tiebreaker, with Ruud leading 8-7, a spectator's shout indicated that Fonseca's forehand down the line was out. The chair umpire, however, ruled the ball in, awarding the point to the Brazilian. Subsequent analysis on television suggested the ball was indeed out, but the French Open, unlike other Grand Slams, does not utilize ball-tracking technology.

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So we have received no real feedback pushing us in that direction [of electronic line-calling].

Mauresmo explained that the decision to stick with human officials is based on reliability concerns. "As of today, the machine is not 100 percent reliable, so we continue to place our confidence in human officials," she stated. She noted that the clay surface itself presents challenges for accurate digital tracking, and player feedback has not indicated a strong push for electronic systems. The tournament will review the technology again after the current event, with a decision for 2027 pending, but for 2026, human judgment will prevail.

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For us today, what matters is reaffirming our trust in human officials. We've made that choice for 2026. As for 2027, we'll see. We remain open to any new technology that becomes available to us.