Wimbledon Embraces Video Review System for the First Time.
The tournament joins the US and Aussie Opens in employing video review systems.
Replay technology are set to arrive at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes will gain the right to contest particular decisions from the official, following the practice already in place at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be operational on Centre Court and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This development comes just a year after the AELTC rolled out electronic line calling, which brought an end to the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to dispute the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the official to review specific decisions, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Possible interference at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there will be no cap on the amount of reviews a player can request.
A Recent Example
An illustrative case occurred in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev used the review system against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and ruled Draper was guilty of interference, granting the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
This technology aren't exclusive to major tournaments. It was adopted at the American major for two years and the Australian Open since 2025.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have the system implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year involves the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain whether a shot was in or out.
Finally, with precisely 100 days remaining until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have also announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
