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The use of AI line judges at this year's Wimbledon has been a 's*** show', firebrand tennis player Nick Kyrgios has told former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg.
Speaking to Whistleblowers, the Mail's brand-new football podcast, the Australian argued that organisers rushed the new technology into the tournament, calling it a 'disaster' for the prestigious event.
AI line judges are automated systems that use cameras to make calls on whether tennis balls are in or out, replacing human line judges who traditionally made these decisions.
Some of the game's biggest names, including Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu have publicly called out the technology, raising questions over its accuracy and disruptive impact on matches.
'It has been an absolute s*** show', the former Wimbledon finalist told Whistleblowers host Clattenburg.
'Wimbledon is the tennis world's Champions League - it's the best tournament we have and pretty much every match we've had a malfunction.
'Maybe Wimbledon should just be one of the tournaments where it's traditions never change. You have line umpires, and you have challenges.
The use of AI line judges at this year's Wimbledon has been a 's*** show', hothead tennis player Nick Kyrgios has told former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova fell victim to teething problems with the technology in her match against Sonay Kartal
Kartal's shot had landed out but it was later revealed that the ELC had been turned off during the game
'I want the sport to evolve - but this our biggest event and we're still having these malfunctions.'
During Sonay Kartal's match against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the electronic line-calling system failed to register a ball that been played out.
Organisers issued an apology but blamed human error, saying that someone had accidentally deactivated the system mid-game.
Drawing from his experience overseeing VAR's introduction into elite football, former referee Clattenburg backed Kyrgios's criticism.
He said he was surprised the technology wasn't thoroughly stress-tested before the tournament and argued for a more gradual rollout.
Clattenburg contended: 'When VAR was introduced, it wasn't just dropped into the Premier League. It was tested over a period of time.
'I think it was three or four years of it being used in mini tournaments and youth matches before its full rollout.
'I understand that Wimbledon are listening to its players – they want the technology in and the human taken element out.
'But I don't understand why they didn't have line umpires for this year, with the technology as a backup to check its accuracy.
Nick Kyrgios: 'What about guys like me and John McEnroe? Our best content ever has come from run-ins with line umpires.' Listen here
Drawing from his experience overseeing VAR's introduction into elite football, former referee Mark Clattenburg backed Kyrgios's criticism
'Then, if the accuracy was 100% - the next year you could say, the technology was so good, let's move forward.'
Echoing debates around VAR in football, Kyrgios also criticised the technology for ruining the spectacle of tennis.
The fiery Australian said some of tennis's most iconic moments have stemmed from tight calls and clashes with umpires.
'What about guys like me and John McEnroe?', Kyrgios asked.
'Our best content ever has come from run-ins with line umpires. The 'you cannot be serious moment' for example, we're still playing that 50 years later.
'I agree with Mark that they should have eased into it, I feel like Wimbledon just dropped it in and it's been a disaster.'
To listen to the full episode, where Kyrgios reflects on some of his courtside antics, search for Whistleblowers now, wherever you get your podcasts.
