Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in employing replay technology.
Video review technology will be launched at Wimbledon this year.
Competitors will gain the right to question particular calls from the chair umpire, mirroring the system already in place at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This technology will be operational on the main stadium and Court One throughout the Championships and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This move follows just a season following the All England Club rolled out electronic line calling, which brought an end to the longstanding tradition of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to review specific decisions, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- 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 limit on the amount of reviews a competitor can ask for.
Practical Application
An illustrative case took place in a recent tournament recently, where Daniil Medvedev used the review system against Jack Draper.
Draper admitted it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and determined Draper was guilty of hindrance, granting the point to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
This technology aren't 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 becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews implemented at all of its tournaments.
Further Updates
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses instances where spectators have sometimes been unsure whether a shot was in or out.
In other news, with exactly 100 days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have also revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
