Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in implementing replay technology.
Video review systems are set to arrive at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes are granted the ability to contest particular rulings from the official, mirroring the system already in place at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation is slated for use on Centre Court and the number one court throughout the Championships and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step arrives only a year after the All England Club introduced ELC, which effectively ended the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to challenge the call of the electronic line calling, but they can request the umpire to re-examine other situations, such as:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot touched an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Potential hindrance end of a rally.
Notably, there is an unlimited number on the number of reviews a competitor can ask for.
Practical Application
An illustrative example took place in a recent tournament last week, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his rival had "played the rules effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and determined Draper was guilty of hindrance, granting the point to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
This technology are not new for major tournaments. The system was adopted at the American major for two years and the Aussie Open since 2025.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system in place at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
Another change at The Championships this year involves the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where the crowd have sometimes been unsure whether a ball was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the tournament, organizers have further revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
