Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in employing video review systems.
Video review technology will make its debut at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes are granted the ability to contest specific decisions made by the official, mirroring the protocol currently in place at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system will be accessible on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This move arrives only a season following the All England Club introduced electronic line calling, which effectively ended the 147-year role of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors will not be permitted to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but they can ask for the official to re-examine other situations, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball made contact with an rival's racket or body during play.
- Potential hindrance end of a rally.
Notably, there will be an unlimited number on the number of reviews a player can request.
Case in Point
An illustrative case took place in a recent tournament recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a difficult call for the official, but believed his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
The umpire watched a replay and determined the player was responsible for interference, granting the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
This technology are not exclusive to major tournaments. The system has been in use at the US Open since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews in place at every one of its tournaments.
Other Changes
A further change at The Championships this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain if a shot was out or in.
Finally, with precisely a century of days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have also revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
