Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in utilizing replay technology.
Replay systems are set to arrive at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes are granted the right to question specific rulings made by the official, mirroring the protocol already in operation at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
This technology is slated for use on Centre Court and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step comes just a year after the All England Club implemented ELC, which brought an end to the centuries-old role of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but they can request the official to review specific situations, such as:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Possible hindrance end of a rally.
Importantly, there is no limit on the number of challenges a player can initiate.
Case in Point
An illustrative example occurred in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev used the review system against Jack Draper.
Draper admitted it was a tough situation for the umpire, but thought his opponent had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire watched a replay and determined the player was guilty of interference, granting the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. It was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Australian Open since 2025.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system in place at every one of its tournaments.
Other Changes
Another change at Wimbledon this year involves the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves instances where spectators have sometimes been uncertain if a ball was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the tournament, the AELTC have also revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
