You cannot be serious! How Wimbledon’s decision to scrap line judges means the end of John McEnroe-style on court rants as 147 years of tradition is brought to a close [Video]

16:22 EDT 09 Oct 2024, updated 17:02 EDT 09 Oct 2024

Wimbledon has departed from 147 years of history today by calling time on its use of line judges in favour of artificial intelligence — and with it, comes the end of the on-court rants.

From John McEnroe’s famous ‘You cannot be serious!’, to Fabio Fognini’s ‘Opera rant’, Wimbledon’s on-court arguments are something spectators have become accustomed to over the years.

But an announcement today that Wimbledon intends to replace its line judges with an electronic system, could mean the end of these heated disputes. 

Fans are torn over the decision, with some praising the forward-thinking idea while others disliked the idea of technology taking the place of a person. 

Now, MailOnline has taken a look back at some of Wimbledon’s most famous on-court disputes as they are due to become a part of the sport’s history. 

Arguably, the most famous Wimbledon meltdown took place in June, 1981, when a young …