Wimbledon Embraces Video Review Technology This Season.
Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in employing replay systems.
Replay systems will be launched at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes are granted the ability to challenge particular decisions from the chair umpire, following the protocol already in operation at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be operational on Centre Court and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This step comes just a season following the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which terminated the longstanding tradition of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can request the umpire to review specific decisions, including:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot made contact with an rival's racket or person during play.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there will be no cap on the number of challenges a competitor can request.
Practical Application
A recent case occurred in Indian Wells last week, where a top player initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a tough situation for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a video and determined Draper was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews aren't exclusive to major tournaments. The system was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews in place at all of its events.
Other Changes
A further innovation at The Championships this year will be the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where spectators have occasionally been unsure whether a ball was in or out.
Finally, with exactly a century of days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have also revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.