Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in employing video review systems.
Replay systems will be launched at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes will gain the right to challenge particular calls from the official, mirroring the protocol already in operation at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This move arrives only a season following the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which brought an end to the longstanding tradition of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but they can request the umpire to re-examine other decisions, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a shot made contact with an rival's racket or body during play.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there will be an unlimited number on the amount of challenges a competitor can initiate.
Practical Application
An illustrative example occurred in Indian Wells last week, where a top player used the review system against Jack Draper.
Draper admitted it was a difficult situation for the official, but thought his rival had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire viewed a replay and ruled Draper was guilty of interference, awarding the rally to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. It was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Aussie Open since 2025.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have the system implemented at all of its events.
Additional Innovations
Another innovation at The Championships this year involves the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves instances where spectators have sometimes been unsure whether a ball was in or out.
Finally, with precisely a century of days to go until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have further announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
