Hawkeye system hits the mark say Wimbledon

By Martyn Herman

LONDON (Reuters) - Hawkeye looks like it is here to stay at Wimbledon despite champion Roger Federer's rage against the ball-tracking machine during Sunday's final against Rafael Nadal.

Tournament organisers hailed the introduction of the system as a huge success on Monday, saying it had proved both a highly effective tool and popular with the fans.

"We feel it has worked very well and matched our expectations," a spokesman for the All England Club said on Monday.

"From what we can see it was welcomed warmly by spectators as part of the entertainment ... with very few exceptions it was also welcomed by the players.

"It's been an overwhelming success and it will be here to stay," added the spokesman who emphasised that if anything, Hawkeye demonstrated the high level of accuracy of the linesmen and women because most of the challengers went against the player.

Federer, who claimed a fifth consecutive Wimbledon title in a magnificent contest, lost his trademark cool at 0-2 in the fifth set when a Nadal forehand was called out by the umpire.

After the Spaniard challenged it, the Hawkeye screens revealed that the spinning ball had clipped the baseline.

The Swiss said he had been "shocked" by the decision and said even the umpire thought Nadal's challenge would be futile.