Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in employing replay systems.
Replay technology will be launched at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes are granted the ability to question particular calls from the chair umpire, mirroring the system currently in operation at each of the US Open and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be accessible on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This development follows just a year after the AELTC introduced ELC, which effectively ended the 147-year role of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the official to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or person on the way past.
- Possible hindrance end of a point.
Importantly, there will be an unlimited number on the number of challenges a player can request.
Case in Point
A recent incident took place in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a tough call for the umpire, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and determined the player was guilty of hindrance, granting the rally to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews are not new for major tournaments. It was adopted at the American major since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews in place at every one of its events.
Other Changes
A further change at The Championships this year involves the addition of graphical cues on displays to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves situations where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain whether a shot was out or in.
In other news, with precisely 100 days to go until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have further announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
