Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in implementing replay technology.
Video review systems are set to arrive at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors are granted the option to question certain decisions made by the official, echoing the protocol currently in place at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
The new system is slated for use on Centre Court and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles contests.
This move arrives only a season following the All England Club introduced ELC, which effectively ended the longstanding tradition of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players cannot to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can request the umpire to review other situations, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a ball made contact with an rival's racket or body during play.
- Potential hindrance end of a point.
Notably, there will be no cap on the number of reviews a competitor can initiate.
Practical Application
A recent incident occurred in Indian Wells recently, where a top player used the review system against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a tough call for the umpire, but thought his rival had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire viewed a replay and determined Draper was responsible for hindrance, granting the point to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews are not new for Grand Slams. The system was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Aussie Open since 2025.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews implemented at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another innovation at The Championships this year will be the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses instances where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain whether a shot was out or in.
In other news, with precisely a century of days remaining until the start of the Championships, organizers have further revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
