Automated line calls were introduced at most major clay tournaments last year, according to tour officials, with the aim of reducing human error and improving consistency. However, since then, some players have argued that on certain occasions, the ball mark on the court tells a different story from what the electronic system indicates. Since the introduction of the technology on clay, umpires are no longer permitted to go down and check marks to overrule the electronic call, a policy that has frustrated many competitors; previously, officials routinely inspected ball marks to make final decisions, but that human oversight has now been removed.
After the disputed point, Rybakina gestured angrily and said the system was wrong, later telling reporters that the mark shown on television was absolutely wrong, adding that she had completely lost faith in the electronic line-calling process. Despite the controversy, the former Wimbledon champion showed resilience, coming from a set down to defeat Zheng 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, securing a place in the fourth round. Last year, Alexandra Eala had a comparable experience during her match against Iga Swiatek, when a serve was called in but the ball mark appeared out, leading to a heated exchange with the umpire.
More recently, Alexander Zverev took a photo of a mark he disagreed with during a 2025 tournament and received a code violation for using an electronic device to challenge a call. Zverev later said he planned to discuss the calls with supervisors and the ATP, noting that a mistake of four to five centimetres is not normal, and he intended to raise the matter with officials to prevent such errors from recurring. The exact discrepancy in Rybakina's case remains unconfirmed, and the official margin of error for the electronic line-calling system on clay is not publicly disclosed.
Tournament organizers have not yet indicated whether any action will be taken to address the system's accuracy.