Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in employing video review systems.
Video review technology will be launched at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes are granted the ability to challenge certain decisions from the chair umpire, mirroring the protocol currently in operation at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
The new system will be accessible on Centre Court and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This step follows just a year after the All England Club introduced ELC, which brought an end to the longstanding role of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but they can request the umpire to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball touched an rival's racket or body on the way past.
- Possible hindrance end of a rally.
Notably, there will be an unlimited number on the amount of reviews a competitor can initiate.
A Recent Example
A recent incident occurred in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a tough call for the official, but believed his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a video and ruled the player was guilty of interference, granting the point to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews aren't exclusive to 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 the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have the system implemented at all of its tournaments.
Other Changes
A further change 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 situations where the crowd have sometimes been unsure whether a ball was out or in.
Finally, with exactly a century of days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have further announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
