The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is making a major technological shift for the 2025 tournament, eliminating human line umpires and switching to AI-powered electronic line calling for all matches.
The decision comes directly in response to the infamous Andrey Rublev controversy from the 2024 event, where the Russian star was disqualified in his semifinal match against Alexander Bublik after a heated outburst at a line umpire.
The Rublev Incident That Changed Dubai’s Approach
During last year’s tournament, Rublev erupted in frustration after what he believed to be a missed call allowed Bublik to go up 6-5 in their semifinal. In a shocking moment, the fiery Russian screamed at the line judge’s face, resulting in an immediate disqualification.
🛑 Initial ATP ruling: Rublev was stripped of his ranking points and prize money.
📜 Appeal ruling: He got back his prize money and points but was slapped with a $36,400 fine.
Rublev later apologized but also called for rule changes that would prevent similar incidents in the future.
“I hope that in the future, the ATP will take a closer look at this rule and make changes, so an official can’t force a match outcome without clear evidence and not letting the player have video review.”
Dubai listened.
Dubai Tournament Director Confirms the Big Change
Salah Tahlak, tournament director of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, confirmed that the 2025 edition will feature 100% electronic line calling, stating:
“We won’t have problems like last year.”
This means no more human line judges, no more controversial calls, and no more player disqualifications over questionable officiating.
Dubai Joins the AI Officiating Revolution
Dubai’s move follows the trend of other major tournaments, including:
✔ ATP Finals
✔ Next Gen ATP Finals
✔ US Open (since 2021)
✔ Australian Open (select courts)
With electronic line calling proving to be more accurate than human officials, the technology is slowly becoming the standard for elite tennis tournaments worldwide.
Rublev Set for a Dramatic Return in 2025
Despite last year’s controversy, Rublev is returning to Dubai in 2025.
With AI handling the calls, will the Russian get some redemption after last year’s nightmare? Or will Dubai’s new tech-driven approach lead to even bigger discussions about automation in tennis officiating?
One thing is certain—this year’s Dubai Championships will look and feel very different from 2024. 🎾💻
