The second round of Wimbledon qualifying resumed on Wednesday around 1:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. Swiss time) after an interruption of just over an hour caused by an electronic refereeing failure.
While the mercury had already exceeded 30°C in Roehampton, the southwest London suburb where the qualifications are taking place, sixteen matches were suspended around 12:15 p.m. local time.
After a few minutes of uncertainty and discussions with the chair umpires, the players were sent back to the locker room.
First announced for 12:45 p.m., the resumption of matches was postponed to 1:00 p.m., then 1:15 p.m., and finally around 1:25 p.m.
Since 2025, Wimbledon has replaced linesmen with an automated refereeing system, following in the footsteps of the Australian Open and US Open.
Of the four Grand Slam tournaments, only Roland Garros continues to employ linesmen, with tournament organizers maintaining that electronic refereeing is less reliable on clay than on grass or hard courts.
