Wimbledon Embraces Video Challenge Technology for the First Time.

Replay technology will make its debut at Wimbledon this year.

Competitors are granted the option to question specific rulings from the chair umpire, following the protocol currently in operation at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.

The new system will be operational on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles matches.

This move comes just a season following the All England Club rolled out ELC, which effectively ended the centuries-old tradition of line judges.

Reviewable Decisions

Players will not be permitted to challenge the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the official to re-examine other situations, including:

• If a ball has double-bounced.
• Whether a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
• Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a point.

Importantly, there will be an unlimited number on the amount of reviews a player can initiate.

A Recent Example

An illustrative example took place in Indian Wells last week, where a top player used the review system against his opponent.

Draper conceded it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."

The umpire watched a video and determined the player was responsible for hindrance, awarding the rally to Medvedev.

Wider Implementation

Video reviews aren't exclusive to major tournaments. It was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.

Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have the system implemented at all of its tournaments.

Additional Innovations

Another change at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.

This solves situations where spectators have occasionally been unsure if a shot was in or out.

In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have further revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.