Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in utilizing video review technology.
Replay technology will be launched at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Players are granted the option to challenge certain decisions from the chair umpire, following the protocol already in operation at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This technology will be operational on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This development arrives only a year after the AELTC introduced ELC, which brought an end to the longstanding tradition of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Players will not be permitted to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to re-examine other decisions, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Possible hindrance end of a rally.
Importantly, there is no limit on the amount of challenges a player can ask for.
A Recent Example
A recent case took place in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper conceded it was a difficult situation for the official, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
The umpire viewed a video and determined Draper was guilty of interference, awarding the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
This technology are not exclusive to Grand Slams. The system has been in use at the American major since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews implemented at all of its events.
Other Changes
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year involves the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain whether a shot was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have also announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
