The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in implementing replay systems.
Replay technology will be launched at Wimbledon this year.
Players are granted the ability to question specific decisions made by the chair umpire, echoing the protocol already in operation at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system will be operational on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This development follows just a year after the AELTC introduced ELC, which terminated the longstanding tradition of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors will not be permitted to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the official to re-examine specific situations, including:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball touched an rival's racket or person during play.
- Potential hindrance end of a rally.
Notably, there will be no limit on the amount of reviews a player can request.
A Recent Example
A recent incident took place in a recent tournament recently, where a top player used the review system against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted it was a tough situation for the official, but thought his opponent had "played the rules effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a video and ruled Draper was guilty of interference, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't new for major tournaments. It was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent 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.
Other Changes
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year involves the introduction of visual indicators on displays to complement the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This solves instances where fans have occasionally been uncertain whether a shot was in or out.
In other news, with precisely a century of days to go until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have also announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
