Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in employing replay technology.
Replay systems are set to arrive at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors will gain the right to challenge certain decisions from the chair umpire, mirroring the practice already in operation at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
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 matches.
This step arrives only a year after the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which brought an end to the longstanding role of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but they can request the official to review specific situations, such as:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- If a ball touched an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Possible interference end of a rally.
Importantly, there will be no cap on the amount of reviews a player can request.
Case in Point
An illustrative example took place in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the review system against Jack Draper.
Draper conceded it was a difficult call for the official, but thought his opponent had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire watched a video and ruled Draper was guilty of hindrance, granting the rally to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
This technology are not new for Grand Slams. The system has been in use at the American major 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 video reviews in place at every one of its events.
Other Changes
Another innovation at The Championships this year involves the addition of visual indicators on displays to complement the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where spectators have occasionally been unsure if a shot was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the Championships, organizers have also announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
