Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in utilizing video review systems.
Video review systems are set to arrive at Wimbledon this year.
Competitors will gain the option to contest certain decisions from the chair umpire, following the system already in place at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
The new system will be operational on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This development comes just a season following the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which terminated the longstanding tradition of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to challenge the call of the ELC system, but they can ask for the official to review specific situations, including:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot touched an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there will be an unlimited number on the number of reviews a player can request.
Case in Point
An illustrative incident occurred in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a difficult call for the umpire, but thought his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire viewed a replay and determined Draper was guilty of interference, awarding the point to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the US Open since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have the system in place at all of its events.
Additional Innovations
Another innovation at The Championships this year involves the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves instances where spectators have sometimes been unsure whether a shot was in or out.
In other news, with precisely a century of days to go until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have further revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
