The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in employing replay systems.
Replay systems will be launched at Wimbledon this year.
Competitors will gain the option to question particular calls made by the official, mirroring the system already in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be operational on Centre Court and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This development arrives only a season following the All England Club rolled out ELC, which terminated the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors will not be permitted to challenge the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the official to review specific decisions, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a shot made contact with an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Potential interference end of a rally.
Notably, there will be an unlimited number on the number of reviews a competitor can initiate.
Practical Application
A recent incident occurred in Indian Wells last week, where a top player used the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a tough situation for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire viewed a video and ruled the player was guilty of interference, awarding the rally to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
This technology aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. The system has been in use at the American major since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have the system implemented at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another innovation at Wimbledon this year involves the addition of visual indicators on displays to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where fans have occasionally been uncertain if a ball was in or out.
In other news, with precisely a century of days remaining until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have also announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
