Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in utilizing replay technology.
Replay systems will make its debut at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Players will gain the ability to question particular decisions from the chair umpire, following the system already in use at each of the US Open and the Aussie major.
The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and the number one court for the duration of the Championships and on the other four featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This step arrives only a season following the All England Club rolled out ELC, which brought an end to the longstanding tradition of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to review other situations, such as:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Importantly, there will be no cap on the amount of reviews a player can ask for.
A Recent Example
An illustrative example took place in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a tough situation for the umpire, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and determined Draper was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews are not exclusive to Grand Slams. It has been in use at the US Open since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit will have video reviews implemented at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another change at The Championships this year involves the introduction of graphical cues on displays to support the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This solves instances where spectators have occasionally been uncertain if a shot was out or in.
Finally, with precisely a century of days to go until the start of the tournament, the AELTC have further announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
