Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in employing video review technology.
Replay systems will make its debut at Wimbledon this year.
Players are granted the right to contest certain rulings from the official, mirroring the practice currently in place at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step comes just a year after the All England Club implemented electronic line calling, which brought an end to the centuries-old role of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot touched an rival's racket or body during play.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there will be an unlimited number on the number of challenges a player can ask for.
Practical Application
A recent example occurred in a recent tournament recently, where a top player 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 quite well."
The umpire viewed a replay and determined the player was responsible for hindrance, awarding the rally to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. The system has been in use at the US Open since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have the system implemented at all of its tournaments.
Further Updates
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 addresses situations where spectators have sometimes been unsure if a shot was in or out.
In other news, with precisely a century of days remaining until the start of the tournament, organizers have also announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
