The Mutua Madrid Open has become the first Masters 1,000 tournament on clay to use an electronic system to check the bounce of the ball on the track when in doubt. Foxtenn, a Spanish company located in Barcelona, is the developer of the Electronic Line Calling (ELC) system, based on 100% Real Bounce technology, which uses real images of the ball to determine whether it has bounced in or out of regulatory limits. They are captured by 40 cameras located at ground level, synchronized with lasers and working at up to 3,000 images per second, compared to 150 used by traditional systems, such as the Hawk's Eye.
It is a very accurate resource and the only clay certified on the world circuit that uses a graphical representation that forms with lenses placed in height. It replaces the inspection of the footprint of the ball, with which the chair umpires do not have to go down to the court when a player claims it and there is no limit to its use. It was tested four years ago at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell and has undergone validation tests in other events, until in 2020 it was officially used in the ATP 250 in Rio de Janeiro and this year in the WTA 500 and 250 in Charleston. The Mutua uses it only in the center, the Manolo Santana, with cameras located under the chairs of the linesmen and on the net, and with the laser emitters of the margins of the field. It will also be used in the Finals of the Billie Jean King Cup, formerly the Federation Cup.
Analysis and statistics
But Foxtenn not only checks the bounce of the ball, it also serves to produce analysis and statistics of the matches., like those used in the 2019 Davis Cup Finals, on tablets available to the teams. It captures movements and produces a huge amount of data that the system sorts and filters automatically. Foxtenn also provides the broadcast of the matches, indicates the speed of the serve, scores, clocks …
“The technology was born four or five years ago, because we saw that the traditional one seemed very precise, but we knew that it could make important mistakes, by a calculation system based on an estimate. We thought that tennis deserved to have more truth ”, says the founder and CEO of Foxtenn, Javier Simón.
“We are in more than 30 tournaments and now we come to earth. Estimation errors are produced by variations due to the peculiarity of an unstable surface, footsteps, wind, etc … Nor does the footprint accurately reflect the exact moment of the ball bounce. Our technology sees what really happens. Our competition is not capable of doing so and has already failed two events “, adds the executive of the company, who is clear about his objectives:” We are already on all continents, in WTA, ATP and ITF, and we believe that this system has to be implemented throughout the circuit and we do not understand that brands are placed on television that deceive the public. For example, Roland Garros should think about whether it has a precise technology or one that can lead to errors and give problems to the judges ”.