The tournament joins the American and Aussie Opens in employing video review technology.
Replay systems are set to arrive at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes will gain the ability to challenge certain decisions made by the official, following the protocol currently in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This technology will be accessible on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This step follows just a season following the AELTC introduced ELC, which terminated the longstanding role of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but they can request the umpire to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- If a shot touched an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Possible interference end of a rally.
Importantly, there is no cap on the number of challenges a player can initiate.
Case in Point
An illustrative incident occurred in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a tough situation for the official, but thought his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and ruled Draper was guilty of interference, granting the rally to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
This technology are not new for major tournaments. The system was adopted at the American major since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit will have video reviews in place at all of its events.
Further Updates
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of visual indicators on displays to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses instances where the crowd have occasionally been unsure whether a shot was out or in.
In other news, with exactly 100 days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have also announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
