The French Open proudly preserved its “old school” identity by rejecting Electronic Line-Calling (ELC) systems and trusting human line umpires on its iconic clay courts. The Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT) defended the tradition by insisting human judgment still delivered unmatched accuracy, even as most tournaments embraced technology. But that stubborn loyalty exploded into chaos when Pierre-Hugues Herbert became locked in a heated verbal clash during his latest Roland Garros match over a controversial line call against Lorenzo Sonego.

In the lights of Court Simonne-Mathieu, Sonego made the first breakthrough by edging the opening set 7-6(3). The Italian handled the pressure moments better in the tiebreak and grabbed early momentum in front of a loud Paris crowd.

Herbert, however, refused to let the match slip away quietly. The Frenchman responded strongly by taking the second set and reigniting the contest on his home soil.

The biggest turning point came while Herbert faced a break point at 0-1 in the tense fifth-set decider. Believing Sonego’s shot had landed out, the 35-year-old immediately challenged the line call and looked toward the chair umpire for intervention.

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The umpire climbed down from the chair to inspect the clay mark personally. After a brief inspection, however, he ruled the ball in, a decision that instantly triggered furious protests from Herbert.

The Frenchman could not hide his frustration as emotions boiled over in front of the home crowd. Fans inside the stadium loudly backed the Frenchman while he argued passionately with the umpire over the controversial decision.

“You had the wrong mark anyway; it was on the line,” Herbert shouted. “No! You’re gonna see it. Look at me in the eyes. You’re gonna see it. It’s gonna be out. And you’re gonna be really, if you don’t say sorry after that one, I’ll never speak to you again. You don’t even imagine,” Herbert added.

Interestingly, from a scientific perspective, clay courts can often create confusion during close calls. Unlike hard or grass courts, clay leaves a visible mark when the ball lands. But those marks are not always fully reliable, because the surface shifts and spreads on impact, often making the impression appear slightly wider or longer than the ball’s actual landing spot.

That’s where systems like Hawk-Eye come in. Using multiple cameras, the technology tracks the ball’s trajectory and calculates a virtual point of contact. So when the system calls a shot “out” even though the clay mark may look “in,” players and fans often feel the technology is wrong, when in reality, the clay itself may have distorted the mark.

However, following the controversy, Sonego secured the vital break and moved ahead 2-0 in the deciding set. He eventually sealed a grueling 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 victory after 4 hours and nine minutes, with the match becoming the longest contest of the day.

And in hindsight, the issue surrounding human line calling has also produced several controversial outcomes in the past.

Alexander Zverev left furious after a controversial line call during the 2024 French Open

Back in 2024, when Carlos Alcaraz captured his maiden French Open title against Alexander Zverev, one controversial moment completely shifted the momentum of the final. In the final, the German had already taken a set lead and entered the fourth set carrying enormous confidence. Alcaraz managed to hold serve in the opening game, but the tension exploded soon after in the second game of the set.

During a crucial rally, Zverev struck a forehand that landed wide and was immediately called out. The decision quickly triggered frustration from the German, who strongly disagreed with the court ruling.

The chair umpire eventually climbed down from the chair to inspect the clay mark personally. However, instead of calming the situation, the moment only intensified the drama inside Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The crowd slowly turned against Zverev as the argument continued. Although the German passionately protested the decision, the call stood, and the momentum of the final slowly started swinging back toward Alcaraz.

Despite the controversy during the 2024 final, Roland Garros still decided not to adopt the electronic line-calling system in 2025. The French Tennis Federation president, Gilles Moretton, defended that decision and explained why the tournament still trusted human judgment on clay courts.

“The system used by the ATP and not yet by the WTA seems to be not perfect. We know that it is 10% errors possible, 10%, that’s what we know.”

Now, after emotions once again boiled over during the opening round of this year’s French Open, the spotlight has returned to the debate surrounding human line calling. The coming matches at Roland Garros could become crucial in determining how sustainable the tournament’s traditional approach truly remains under growing pressure.