Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in employing replay technology.
Replay systems will make its debut at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors will gain the option to contest certain decisions made by the official, mirroring the practice currently in use at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This move follows just a year after the AELTC rolled out ELC, which brought an end to the centuries-old role of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to challenge the call of the ELC system, but they can ask for the official to re-examine other situations, such as:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- If a shot made contact with an rival's racket or person during play.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there will be no limit on the number of reviews a competitor can initiate.
Practical Application
A recent example occurred in a recent tournament last week, where a top player used the review system against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a tough call for the official, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire viewed a video and determined the player was responsible for hindrance, granting the point to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
This technology aren't exclusive to major tournaments. The system was adopted at the American major since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit will have the system in place at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further change at The Championships this year involves the introduction of graphical cues on displays to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses instances where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain whether a shot was out or in.
In other news, with precisely 100 days remaining until the start of the Championships, organizers have also revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
