Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in employing replay technology.
Replay systems are set to arrive at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes are granted the ability to challenge particular decisions from the chair umpire, echoing the practice currently in place at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be operational on the main stadium and the number one court for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles contests.
This move follows just a season following the AELTC rolled out electronic line calling, which effectively ended the centuries-old tradition of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to challenge the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to review specific situations, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a shot touched an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there will be no cap on the amount of reviews a player can ask for.
Practical Application
A recent incident took place in Indian Wells last week, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper conceded it was a tough call for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire viewed a replay and determined the player was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
This technology are not new for Grand Slams. The system has been in use at the US Open since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system in place at all of its events.
Additional Innovations
Another innovation at Wimbledon this year involves the introduction of visual indicators on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where spectators have sometimes been uncertain if a ball was out or in.
Finally, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the Championships, organizers have also announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
