Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in employing video review technology.
Replay systems will make its debut at The Championships this year.
Competitors are granted the ability to question certain decisions from the official, following the protocol already in operation at each of the US Open and the Aussie major.
This technology will be accessible on Centre Court and the number one court throughout the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This move comes just a season following the AELTC implemented electronic line calling, which terminated the longstanding role of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors will not be permitted to dispute the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to re-examine other decisions, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball touched an rival's racket or person during play.
- Possible interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there will be no cap on the amount of reviews a player can initiate.
A Recent Example
An illustrative incident took place in a recent tournament recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper conceded it was a difficult situation for the official, but believed his rival had "used the regulations quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a video and ruled the player was guilty of interference, awarding the point to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't new for Grand Slams. The system was adopted at the American major since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit will have video reviews in place at all of its tournaments.
Other Changes
Another change at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves instances where spectators have sometimes been uncertain if a ball was in or out.
In other news, with exactly 100 days to go until the start of the Championships, organizers have also revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
