Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in implementing replay systems.
Video review systems will be launched at The Championships this year.
Athletes are granted the ability to challenge particular rulings made by the chair umpire, following the system currently in operation at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system will be accessible on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the other four featured courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This move arrives only a year after the All England Club implemented electronic line calling, which effectively ended the longstanding role of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Players will not be permitted to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to review specific situations, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball made contact with an rival's racket or body on the way past.
- Possible interference at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there is an unlimited number on the amount of reviews a competitor can request.
Practical Application
A recent example occurred in a recent tournament recently, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a tough call for the umpire, but thought his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and ruled Draper was responsible for hindrance, granting the rally to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews are not exclusive to 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 the system implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Further Updates
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where spectators have occasionally been unsure if a ball was out or in.
Finally, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the tournament, the AELTC have also announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
