Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in implementing replay technology.
Video review technology will make its debut at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes are granted the right to contest particular rulings from the official, mirroring the protocol currently in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One throughout the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This development comes just a season following the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which brought an end to the 147-year role of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Players will not be permitted to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can request the umpire to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- If a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball touched an rival's racket or body on the way past.
- Possible hindrance end of a point.
Notably, there is no limit on the amount of reviews a player can ask for.
Practical Application
A recent example took place in Indian Wells last week, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the review system against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted it was a difficult situation for the official, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a video and ruled the player was responsible for hindrance, granting the point to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. It was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have the system implemented at every one of its events.
Further Updates
Another innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of visual indicators on displays to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where the crowd have sometimes been unsure whether a shot was out or in.
In other news, with exactly 100 days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have also announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
