Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in utilizing video review technology.
Video review technology will make its debut at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes are granted the ability to contest particular rulings made by the official, mirroring the practice currently in place at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be accessible on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This move arrives only a season following the All England Club introduced ELC, which terminated the 147-year tradition of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the official to review other decisions, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or body during play.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Importantly, there will be an unlimited number on the amount of challenges a player can initiate.
Practical Application
An illustrative case took place in Indian Wells last week, where a top player initiated the review system against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted it was a difficult call for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and determined Draper was guilty of interference, granting the rally to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. It was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have the system implemented at all of its events.
Other Changes
A further change at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves instances where spectators have sometimes been uncertain if a shot was in or out.
Finally, with precisely 100 days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have also announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
