Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in implementing video review technology.
Replay technology will make its debut at The Championships this year.
Athletes are granted the ability to question certain decisions from the official, echoing the practice currently in operation at each of the US Open and the Aussie major.
The new system will be accessible on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This development follows just a season following the AELTC introduced ELC, which effectively ended the centuries-old tradition of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but they can ask for the umpire to re-examine other decisions, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball made contact with an rival's racket or body during play.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Importantly, there is no cap on the amount of reviews a competitor can initiate.
A Recent Example
An illustrative example took place in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the review system against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a tough situation for the official, but believed his opponent had "played the rules effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a video and determined Draper was responsible for interference, granting the point to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't new for major tournaments. It was adopted at the American major for two years and the Aussie Open since 2025.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews in place at all of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further change at Wimbledon this year involves the introduction of visual indicators on displays to complement the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where the crowd have sometimes been unsure whether a ball was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the start of the tournament, the AELTC have also revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
