Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in employing video review systems.
Replay systems will make its debut at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors are granted the right to challenge certain decisions made by the chair umpire, echoing the system already in place at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
The new system will be accessible on Centre Court and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This development comes just a year after the AELTC rolled out electronic line calling, which brought an end to the longstanding role of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but they can ask for the official to re-examine other decisions, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or person on the way past.
- Possible interference end of a point.
Notably, there is an unlimited number on the amount of reviews a competitor can initiate.
Case in Point
An illustrative example occurred in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a tough call for the umpire, but thought his rival had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire viewed a replay and determined the player was responsible for interference, granting the rally to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't new for Grand Slams. It has been in use 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 next season the men's ATP Tour will have the system in place at every one of its tournaments.
Other Changes
A further innovation at The Championships this year will be the introduction of visual indicators on displays to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses instances where fans have sometimes been uncertain whether a shot was in or out.
In other news, with exactly 100 days remaining until the start of the tournament, organizers have further revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
