Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in employing replay systems.
Video review systems are set to arrive at The Championships this year.
Athletes are granted the option to question particular decisions made by the chair umpire, following the system already in use at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system is slated for use on Centre Court and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This move comes just a year after the AELTC implemented electronic line calling, which effectively ended the centuries-old role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can ask for the official to re-examine specific situations, including:
- If a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball made contact with an rival's racket or body during play.
- Potential hindrance end of a point.
Notably, there will be no cap on the amount of challenges a player can initiate.
Practical Application
A recent case occurred in a recent tournament recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a difficult situation for the official, but thought his opponent had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire viewed a replay and ruled Draper was guilty of hindrance, granting the rally to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
This technology are not exclusive to major tournaments. The system has been in use at the American major since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the ATP circuit will have the system implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Other Changes
Another change at Wimbledon this year involves the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where spectators have sometimes been uncertain whether a ball was out or in.
In other news, with precisely a century of days to go until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have also revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
