The tournament joins the US and Aussie Opens in employing video review systems.
Video review technology are set to arrive at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes are granted the ability to contest specific decisions made by the official, echoing the system already in use at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be operational on Centre Court and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles contests.
This step follows just a year after the AELTC rolled out ELC, which brought an end to the 147-year role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can ask for the umpire to review specific situations, such as:
- If a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball touched an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Possible interference end of a point.
Notably, there is no cap on the number of challenges a competitor can request.
Practical Application
A recent incident occurred in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper admitted it was a difficult call for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a video and determined Draper was responsible for hindrance, granting the rally to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
This technology aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. It was adopted 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 next season the ATP circuit will have video reviews implemented at all of its events.
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 instances where fans have sometimes been uncertain if a shot was in or out.
Finally, with precisely a century of days remaining until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have further announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
