Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in employing video review technology.
Replay technology will make its debut at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes will gain the ability to challenge certain calls made by the official, mirroring the system currently in use at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
This technology will be operational on Centre Court and Court One throughout the Championships and on the other four featured courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This step comes just a season following the All England Club rolled out ELC, which effectively ended the longstanding role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Players will not be permitted to challenge the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the official to review other decisions, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a shot made contact with an rival's racket or person during play.
- Potential hindrance end of a point.
Notably, there will be an unlimited number on the amount of reviews a competitor can initiate.
Case in Point
An illustrative example took place in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev used the review system against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a difficult situation for the official, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a video and ruled the player was guilty of interference, awarding the rally to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews are not new for Grand Slams. It was adopted at the American major since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews in place at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further change at The Championships this year will be the introduction of visual indicators on displays to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves instances where fans have sometimes been uncertain whether a ball was in or out.
In other news, with exactly 100 days to go until the start of the Championships, organizers have also announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
