How Serena's US Open Loss in 2004 Changed Tennis Technology

In 2004, Serena Williams played Jennifer Capriati in the quarterfinals. The jean skirt started as a talking but quietly this match became a turning point in the relationship between tennis and technology.

In the match, Serena hits multiple shots that the TV showed as in but were called out. The chair umpire Mariana Alves even overruled a line judge’s call after Serena hit a powerful backhand down the line that was clearly in and overruled the judge’s call.

The calls were so bad that Alves was removed from umpiring any other matches the rest of the 2004 US Open and the USTA later apologized publicly and privately to Serena.

Below is a breakdown of what happened during the 2004 quarterfinal and how this became a catalyst for the adoption of Hawk-Eye line calling technology.