Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in utilizing video review technology.
Replay technology will make its debut at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors will gain the right to question certain calls made by the official, mirroring the system currently in operation at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This technology is slated for use on Centre Court and the number one court for the duration of the Championships and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles contests.
This development follows just a season following the All England Club introduced ELC, which effectively ended the longstanding role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot touched an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Possible interference end of a point.
Notably, there is an unlimited number on the number of reviews a player can ask for.
A Recent Example
An illustrative example took place in a recent tournament recently, where a top player used the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a video and ruled Draper was responsible for hindrance, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews aren't new for major tournaments. It has been in use at the American major for two years and the Aussie Open since 2025.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit will have video reviews in place at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another change at The Championships this year involves the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where spectators have occasionally been uncertain if a shot was out or in.
Finally, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the tournament, organizers have further revealed an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
