Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in implementing video review systems.
Video review technology will be launched at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes will gain the ability to question certain rulings from the chair umpire, mirroring the protocol already in place at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation is slated for use on the main stadium and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This step follows just a season following the All England Club introduced ELC, which effectively ended the centuries-old tradition of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players will not be permitted to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to review other decisions, such as:
- If a ball has double-bounced.
- If a shot touched an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Potential interference end of a rally.
Importantly, there will be no cap on the number of reviews a player can initiate.
A Recent Example
An illustrative example took place in Indian Wells last week, where a top player used the review system against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a difficult situation for the official, but believed his rival had "used the regulations quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and ruled Draper was responsible for hindrance, awarding the rally to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. It was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, 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 events.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at The Championships this year involves the introduction of visual indicators on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where fans have occasionally been unsure whether a shot was in or out.
In other news, with precisely 100 days to go until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have also revealed an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
