Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in employing video review technology.
Replay technology are set to arrive at The Championships this year.
Players are granted the right to challenge specific rulings made by the official, mirroring the system already in operation at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be operational on Centre Court and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This development comes just a year after the AELTC implemented ELC, which terminated the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Players cannot to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball touched an rival's racket or person during play.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there is no cap on the amount of challenges a competitor can initiate.
Case in Point
A recent incident occurred in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper admitted it was a tough call for the umpire, but thought his rival had "played the rules effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a video and determined Draper was guilty of interference, awarding the point to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't exclusive to major tournaments. The system was adopted at the American major since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have the system in place at all of its events.
Other Changes
A further innovation at The Championships this year involves the introduction of visual indicators on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where fans have occasionally been uncertain if a shot was in or out.
Finally, with precisely a century of days to go until the start of the tournament, organizers have further announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
