The tournament joins the US and Aussie Opens in utilizing replay technology.
Video review systems will make its debut at Wimbledon this year.
Competitors are granted the option to question specific decisions from the chair umpire, following the practice already in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be accessible on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles contests.
This development follows just a season following the All England Club implemented ELC, which brought an end to the centuries-old tradition of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors will not be permitted to challenge the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the official to re-examine other decisions, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot touched an rival's racket or person during play.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there will be no cap on the number of challenges a player can request.
Case in Point
An illustrative example took place in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev used the review system against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a video and determined Draper was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not new for major tournaments. It has been in use at the US Open since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system in place at all of its events.
Additional Innovations
Another innovation at Wimbledon this year involves the introduction of visual indicators on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain if a ball was in or out.
Finally, with exactly a century of days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have further revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
