Tennis Technology: The Use of Hawk-eye
Every time a player challenges a call and the television screen switches to Hawk-eye mode, I hold my breath with silent anticipation and then either let out a relieved sigh or an exasperated grunt.
There are times I wish we could go back to the days of the wooden rackets with the impossibly heavy balls instead of this high-tech tennis world we live in. I’m not against the use of Hawk-eye technology, but I think without it, it would force everyone to be even more on their toes.
That is one thing I adore about the clay court season. You can actually see a physical mark where the ball struck. When a player is contemplating whether a call was made correctly, instead of just watching him stand thoughtfully on the baseline, we actually get to see him walk forward, deliberate over a mark, hem and haw and then finally go back to resume play. What can I say? I’m a visual person.
So, as I said above, I’m not against the use of Hawk-eye but neither am I a rah-rah, mindless supporter of it. I think with the stipulations the players have on the challenges they are allowed per set, it keeps them from taking undue liberties with it. Can you imagine if there were no constraints on the use of Hawk-eye? Matches would take f-o-r-ever.
It would almost be enough to sway me towards watching golf. Almost.
Tags: Hawk-eye, tennis equipmentRelated Stories
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2 opinions for Tennis Technology: The Use of Hawk-eye
Biplob Kishore Deb
May 10, 2008 at 3:41 pm
There is nothing more reliable than technology in resolving the problems, be it an indoor or outdoor sport. I am also in favor of Hawk-eye mode that is being used in tennis. In every sport, technology has bought out huge change and most of them are good for the development of the game. I hope, international tennis authority will invest more for the development of tennis related technologies.
Erica
May 10, 2008 at 4:45 pm
I think technology that helps with the accuracy of results is really a good thing. The less room there is for error, the better it is.
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