Wimbledon Embraces Video Review Technology for the First Time.
Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in employing replay technology.
Video review systems will make its debut at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors are granted the option to question certain calls made by the official, echoing the protocol already in operation at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be operational on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This development comes just a season following the AELTC introduced ELC, which brought an end to the centuries-old role of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players cannot to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can request the umpire to re-examine specific decisions, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot made contact with an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there will be an unlimited number on the number of challenges a competitor can ask for.
Practical Application
An illustrative case took place in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper admitted it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but thought his rival had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire watched a video and ruled Draper was guilty of hindrance, awarding the point to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews aren't new for major tournaments. It was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews in place at all of its events.
Further Updates
A further change at Wimbledon this year involves the introduction of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves instances where the crowd have sometimes been unsure if a ball was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have also announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
