French Open Confirms Human Line Judges for 2026

Line judges will continue to be part of the French Open in 2026. While the other three Grand Slam have switched to electronic line calling (ELC), the tournament in Paris has opted for a different approach and will retain human line judges. This decision was confirmed by the French Tennis Federation (FFT) following a Federal Committee meeting held on September 26, 2025.

The Official Statement

“For the next Roland-Garros tournament, the FFT will continue to highlight the excellence of French refereeing, recognized throughout the world, and which brings complete satisfaction to the organization of the tournament.

During the 2025 edition of the tournament, 404 refereeing officials were present. Among them, there were 284 French representatives from all the leagues in France (metropolitan and overseas).

These referees and line judges are rigorously selected from around 30,000 officials in France, who referee throughout the year within the leagues, departmental committees and clubs affiliated to the FFT.

This decision contributes to the uniqueness of the Roland-Garros tournament, which is the last Grand Slam tournament to rely on line judges.” (Translation by Google)

History of ELC

The ELC system was first tested at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan in 2017 before being widely adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Australian Open implemented it in 2021, the US Open in 2022 (after using it on some courts in 2020), and even Wimbledon eventually made the switch.

“It was an inevitable move,” said All-England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) chief executive Sally Bolton at a media briefing this past year. However, the change sparked strikes by line judges and drew criticism after malfunctions in matches such as in the match between Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Sonay Kartal.

Players’ Perspective and Challenges

The French Open will remain the only Grand Slam where human line judges make the calls. Chair umpires will still leave their chairs to inspect ball marks when requested by players.

Opinions on the matter vary, but the inconsistency between tournaments could challenge players, who may need to adapt to different systems depending on the Slam.