Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in utilizing video review systems.
Replay systems are set to arrive at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors will gain the option to challenge specific decisions made by the official, mirroring the protocol already in place at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This technology is slated for use on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This development comes just a year after the All England Club introduced ELC, which effectively ended the centuries-old tradition of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to dispute the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the official to re-examine specific decisions, including:
- If a ball has double-bounced.
- If a shot made contact with an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Potential interference end of a rally.
Importantly, there is no limit on the number of reviews a player can request.
Case in Point
A recent example occurred in a recent tournament recently, where a top player initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a tough situation for the official, but believed his rival had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire viewed a replay and ruled Draper was guilty of hindrance, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
This technology are not exclusive to Grand Slams. It was adopted at the American major for two years and the Australian Open since 2025.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews implemented at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another change at Wimbledon this year involves the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where spectators have sometimes been uncertain whether a shot was in or out.
In other news, with precisely a century of days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, organizers have further revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
