Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in implementing replay systems.
Video review technology will be launched at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors are granted the right to contest particular rulings made by the chair umpire, echoing the practice already in operation at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This technology is slated for use on Centre Court and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This step follows just a season following the All England Club rolled out ELC, which effectively ended the longstanding role of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Players cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the official to re-examine specific decisions, such as:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Possible interference at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there will be no cap on the amount of reviews a competitor can ask for.
Practical Application
A recent case occurred in a recent tournament recently, where a top player used the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his rival had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire watched a replay and determined the player was responsible for interference, granting the rally to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. It 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 next season the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Further Updates
Another change at The Championships this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where spectators have occasionally been uncertain if a shot was in or out.
Finally, with exactly 100 days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, organizers have also revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
