Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in utilizing replay technology.
Video review systems are set to arrive at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors are granted the right to question specific decisions made by the chair umpire, echoing the practice currently in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This move arrives only a year after the AELTC rolled out ELC, which effectively ended the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors will not be permitted to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the official to re-examine specific decisions, such as:
- If a ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball made contact with an rival's racket or body during play.
- Possible interference at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there will be no limit on the amount of reviews a competitor can initiate.
Case in Point
An illustrative case occurred in a recent tournament recently, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a tough situation for the official, but thought his rival had "used the regulations effectively."
The umpire viewed a replay and ruled Draper was responsible for interference, granting the rally to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
This technology are not new for major tournaments. It was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the ATP circuit will have the system implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Other Changes
Another innovation at The Championships this year involves the introduction of visual indicators on displays to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain whether a shot was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have further announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
