The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in employing video review systems.
Video review systems are set to arrive at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors are granted the ability to question specific calls from the chair umpire, echoing the protocol already in use at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
This innovation is slated for use on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step arrives only a year after the AELTC introduced ELC, which terminated the longstanding role of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but they can request the official to review other decisions, such as:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a ball touched an rival's racket or body on the way past.
- Possible hindrance end of a point.
Notably, there will be no limit on the number of challenges a player can initiate.
A Recent Example
A recent example took place in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player conceded it was a tough call for the official, but thought his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a video and ruled the player was responsible for interference, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. The system has been in use at the US Open since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have the system in place at all of its tournaments.
Further Updates
Another innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where fans have occasionally been unsure whether a shot was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have also announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
