The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in employing replay technology.
Video review systems are set to arrive at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors will gain the option to challenge particular rulings made by the official, echoing the practice currently in operation at each of the US Open and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be accessible on Centre Court 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 rolled out electronic line calling, which terminated the longstanding tradition of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Players will not be permitted to dispute the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the umpire to re-examine specific decisions, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or person on the way past.
- Possible interference end of a point.
Notably, there will be an unlimited number on the number of reviews a player can ask for.
Practical Application
An illustrative case took place in a recent tournament last week, where a top player initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a tough call for the umpire, but believed his rival had "used the regulations effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a video and ruled the player was responsible for interference, awarding the point to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. The system was adopted at the American major since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews in place at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further change at Wimbledon this year involves the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain if a ball was in or out.
In other news, with precisely a century of days to go until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have also announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
