The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in utilizing replay technology.
Video review technology will make its debut at The Championships this year.
Athletes are granted the option to contest particular rulings made by the chair umpire, echoing the practice currently in use at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be operational on Centre Court and Court One throughout the Championships and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This move comes just a season following the AELTC rolled out ELC, which brought an end to the 147-year role of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors will not be permitted to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the official to re-examine specific decisions, such as:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball touched an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there is no cap on the amount of challenges a competitor can initiate.
Case in Point
An illustrative incident occurred in a recent tournament recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player conceded it was a tough situation for the umpire, but believed his opponent had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire watched a video and ruled the player was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
Video reviews aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. The system was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open since 2025.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit will have video reviews implemented at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further change at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses instances where spectators have sometimes been unsure if a ball was out or in.
In other news, with precisely 100 days to go until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have also revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
