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Instant Replay in the U.S. Open For the first time ever, the U.S. Open used its new instant replay system on Monday, Aug 28th. It debuted on the Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong courts. The feature was introduced at the Nasdaq-100 Open earlier this year and has received mixed reviews. John McEnroe, well-known for his hot temper, thinks the system is a great development for the sport. “I hate to be in the position of defending umpires but not having to worry about calls is a pretty big thing for us,” McEnroe commented.

Dubbed “Hawkeye”, the system (which will be used in both mens and womens tennis matches) uses eight cameras which are fixed above the court determine the tennis ball’s position to within 3mm and then sends the information back to computers. Specially designed programs then create a virtual recreation of the path that shows exactly where the tennis ball touched the ground.

Roger Federer, the world's top-ranked player, has a different opinion. He’s not upset by the technology, but he's concerned about the expense involved in developing and utilizing the system. He thinks the money might be better used elsewhere.

For the US Open, each player gets three challenges per match. At the Nasdaq-100 Open, where the replay system was first used, there were 161 calls challenged, 53 of which were overturned. The instant replay system could eliminate most of the bad calls in matches, but some people are concerned that the use of the system will get rid of the human element in the game. Says Michael Stich, former mens tennis pro: “the system takes something out of the game. We are all humans and we all make mistakes.” Yes, we want the players to be able to make mistakes, but how will it hurt the game if the umps don't? This argument causes the most contention between those for instant replay and those against it.

Those supporting instant replay want to reduce or eliminate the effect human error has on the outcome of a game. On the other hand, many people want that human element as part of the sport to create more drama. They therefore believe it is something to be embraced rather than eliminated.

Even if the concept is eventually fully embraced, technology is still not a cure for every bad call from an umpire or other official in a sport. There are many instances where a bad call can still be upheld even with video evidence. Either way, it appears that Hawkeye is here to stay.

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