Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in employing replay technology.
Replay technology will make its debut at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes will gain the right to challenge certain rulings from the chair umpire, echoing the system already in operation at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This technology will be accessible on Centre Court and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step arrives only a year after the All England Club rolled out electronic line calling, which terminated the 147-year tradition of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the umpire to review other decisions, including:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or person on the way past.
- Potential hindrance end of a point.
Notably, there is an unlimited number on the amount of reviews a player can ask for.
Case in Point
An illustrative example occurred in Indian Wells last week, where a top player used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player conceded it was a tough call for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and ruled Draper was guilty of interference, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews are not exclusive to Grand Slams. The system has been in use at the American major since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the ATP circuit will have the system in place at every one of its events.
Other Changes
A further change at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on displays to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where the crowd have occasionally been unsure if a ball was out or in.
In other news, with precisely a century of days remaining until the start of the Championships, organizers have also announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
