Wimbledon Introduces Video Challenge Technology for the First Time.
Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in employing replay systems.
Replay technology are set to arrive at Wimbledon this year.
Competitors will gain the right to contest certain calls made by the official, following the protocol currently in use at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system will be operational on the main stadium and Court One throughout the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This development arrives only a year after the AELTC rolled out ELC, which brought an end to the longstanding role of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Players will not be permitted to challenge the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to re-examine specific decisions, including:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there will be an unlimited number on the amount of reviews a player can ask for.
Practical Application
An illustrative example occurred in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a tough situation for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and determined Draper was responsible for hindrance, granting the point to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
This technology are not new for Grand Slams. The system was adopted at the US Open 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 implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another change at The Championships this year will be the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where fans have occasionally been uncertain whether a ball was in or out.
Finally, with precisely a century of days to go until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have further announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
