Wimbledon Adopts Video Challenge Technology This Season.
Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in implementing video review systems.
Video review technology will be launched at Wimbledon this year.
Competitors are granted the option to question specific decisions from the chair umpire, mirroring the system already 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 Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This move comes just a year after the All England Club implemented ELC, which effectively ended the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Players will not be permitted to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can ask for the official to re-examine other situations, such as:
- If a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball touched an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Potential hindrance end of a rally.
Notably, there is no cap on the number of challenges a player can initiate.
A Recent Example
An illustrative case took place in a recent tournament recently, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a tough call for the umpire, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire viewed a replay and determined the player was guilty of hindrance, awarding the point to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
This technology aren't exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the American major since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system implemented at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have sometimes been unsure whether a shot was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have also announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.