Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in implementing video review systems.
Video review technology will make its debut at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes will gain the option to contest particular calls made by the chair umpire, mirroring the system already in operation at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation is slated for use on Centre Court and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This development arrives only a year after the AELTC introduced ELC, which brought an end to the centuries-old role of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors will not be permitted to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can ask for the official to re-examine specific situations, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Potential interference end of a rally.
Notably, there will be no limit on the amount of challenges a player can request.
A Recent Example
An illustrative example occurred in a recent tournament recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player conceded it was a difficult situation for the official, but thought his opponent had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire watched a replay and determined the player was responsible for interference, granting the rally to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't new for Grand Slams. The system has been in use at the American major since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have the system in place at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at The Championships this year involves the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain if a ball was out or in.
In other news, with precisely 100 days to go until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have further revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
