Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in utilizing replay technology.
Video review technology are set to arrive at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors will gain the option to contest specific decisions from the official, echoing the protocol currently in use at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system will be operational on Centre Court and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step arrives only a year after the AELTC rolled out ELC, which brought an end to the longstanding role of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to challenge the call of the ELC system, but they can ask for the umpire to re-examine specific situations, including:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball made contact with an rival's racket or person during play.
- Possible interference end of a rally.
Importantly, there will be an unlimited number on the amount of challenges a player can request.
Practical Application
A recent case occurred in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player conceded it was a difficult call for the umpire, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire watched a replay and determined the player was responsible for interference, granting the point to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
This technology aren't new for major tournaments. It was adopted at the American major 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 men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews in place at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further change at Wimbledon this year involves the introduction of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain whether a ball was out or in.
In other news, with precisely a century of days to go until the beginning of the Championships, organizers have also announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
