Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in implementing replay technology.
Replay technology are set to arrive at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors are granted the option to contest particular rulings made by the chair umpire, mirroring the practice currently in operation at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This development comes just a season following the All England Club rolled out ELC, which brought an end to the longstanding tradition of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors will not be permitted to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can ask for the umpire to re-examine other decisions, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a shot touched an opponent's racquet or body during play.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there is no cap on the amount of reviews a player can ask for.
Case in Point
A recent example took place in Indian Wells last week, where Daniil Medvedev used the review system against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a difficult call for the official, but believed his opponent had "used the regulations quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and ruled Draper was responsible for interference, granting the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not new for Grand Slams. The system has been in use at the US Open since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Other Changes
A further innovation at The Championships this year will be the introduction of visual indicators on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain whether a ball was out or in.
Finally, with exactly a century of days to go until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have also announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
