Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in utilizing replay systems.
Replay systems will be launched at Wimbledon this year.
Players are granted the ability to challenge certain decisions made by the official, mirroring the system currently in operation at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be operational on Centre Court and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This move follows just a year after the AELTC introduced ELC, which effectively ended the centuries-old role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but they can request the official to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or body during play.
- Potential hindrance end of a rally.
Notably, there will be no cap on the amount of reviews a player can request.
Practical Application
An illustrative example occurred in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev used the review system against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted it was a difficult call for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a video and ruled Draper was guilty of hindrance, awarding the point to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
This technology aren't new for major tournaments. It was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system implemented at every one of its events.
Other Changes
Another change at The Championships this year will be the introduction of visual indicators on displays to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain whether a ball was in or out.
In other news, with precisely 100 days to go until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have further revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
