Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in employing replay technology.
Replay systems are set to arrive at The Championships this year.
Competitors are granted the ability to contest certain decisions from the chair umpire, following the practice currently in operation at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step comes just a year after the All England Club implemented ELC, which terminated the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to dispute the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but they can ask for the umpire to re-examine specific decisions, including:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball touched an opponent's racquet or body during play.
- Possible hindrance end of a rally.
Importantly, there is no cap on the number of challenges a competitor can request.
A Recent Example
A recent case occurred in a recent tournament last week, where a top player initiated the review system against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a tough situation for the umpire, but thought his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire viewed a replay and determined the player was guilty of hindrance, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews aren't new for Grand Slams. It has been in use at the US Open since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have the system in place at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
Another innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of visual indicators on displays to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have sometimes been unsure whether a shot was out or in.
Finally, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the tournament, the AELTC have further announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
