Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in utilizing replay technology.
Video review technology will be launched at The Championships this year.
Athletes will gain the option to contest specific rulings made by the chair umpire, following the protocol already in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
The new system will be operational on the main stadium and Court One throughout the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This step arrives only a season following the All England Club implemented ELC, which terminated the 147-year role of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Players cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the official to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- If a shot made contact with an rival's racket or body on the way past.
- Possible interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Importantly, there will be no limit on the number of challenges a competitor can ask for.
Practical Application
A recent case took place in Indian Wells recently, where a top player used the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a difficult situation for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire watched a replay and ruled the player was responsible for hindrance, awarding the rally to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
This technology are not new for major tournaments. The system was adopted 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 the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have the system implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Further Updates
Another innovation at The Championships this year will be the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves instances where spectators have occasionally been unsure whether a shot was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have further revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
