McEnroe, Courier Pub Instant Replay Debut in Miami

Posted on March 20, 2006

When the Hawk-Eye line-calling video challenge makes its debut Wednesday at the Masters Series-Miami/NASDAQ-100, two players who have had experience with line-calling systems on the senior tour will be watching and waiting with anticipation -- commentators John McEnroe and Jim Courier.

McEnroe was one of the first players to try out the technology when it debuted at the season-ending senior tour Masters Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall last December.

"Hawk-Eye's great," McEnroe told Merrill Lynch Tour of Champions officials. "I'm all for it, it's about time it was introduced. I think it will add to the excitement. It's one less thing for the players to worry about. It's a pretty big thing for us -- there won't be any judgment calls any more."

McEnroe says he is also happy that players will only receive two challenges per set in Miami, and will lose a challenge every time they are wrong.

"I'm glad they are allowing players to use it a couple of times a set to argue their case, and then penalizing them if they are wrong," McEnroe said. "That will add an element of drama to the matches."
FOLDHERE

Courier is also looking forward to the system's implementation in Miami, at the US Open, and likely at a number of US Open Series events during the summer.

"It certainly offers peace of mind, also for the television viewers and the audience in-house," Courier said of his experience with the system on the senior tour. "This will definitely turn matches (around), but now the matches will be turned by the shots and not the calls."

ESPN's Patrick McEnroe is another commentator and former player who sees a revolution on the horizon.

"Instant replay is going to be awesome," said Pat Mac, writing for ESPN. "For too long, tennis has been stuck in its traditions, which is part of its strength as a game. But you have to be able to change some things and get fans interested. This is about fans. It will be great for the fans on television and in the stadium...we have to embrace ways and opportunities to find new fans and get people interested in tennis as a television sport. I think it's going to be a huge success and I hope we see more and more of it."