Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in implementing replay systems.
Video review technology will be launched at Wimbledon this year.
Competitors are granted the right to contest specific decisions made by the official, echoing the practice currently in operation at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
The new system will be accessible on Centre Court and the number one court throughout the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles contests.
This step follows just a season following the All England Club rolled out electronic line calling, which effectively ended the longstanding role of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Players will not be permitted to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the official to re-examine other situations, including:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- If a shot touched an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Potential interference end of a rally.
Notably, there is no cap on the number of challenges a player can request.
Practical Application
An illustrative incident took place in a recent tournament last week, where a top player initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted it was a difficult situation for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire viewed a replay and ruled the player was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews aren't exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the American major since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have the system in place at all of its events.
Additional Innovations
Another change at The Championships this year involves the addition of graphical cues on displays to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves situations where fans have occasionally been uncertain if a ball was out or in.
Finally, with exactly 100 days remaining until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have further revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
