Wimbledon Embraces Video Replay Technology for the First Time.
The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in utilizing replay systems.
Replay systems will be launched at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Players will gain the right to contest certain calls from the chair umpire, echoing the practice already in place at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step comes just a year after the All England Club rolled out ELC, which brought an end to the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players cannot to dispute the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the umpire to re-examine other decisions, such as:
- If a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball touched an rival's racket or body during play.
- Possible hindrance end of a point.
Importantly, there is no cap on the number of challenges a player can ask for.
Practical Application
A recent incident occurred in a recent tournament recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the review system against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a tough situation for the umpire, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a replay and ruled the player was responsible for hindrance, awarding the rally to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
This technology are not new for Grand Slams. It was adopted at the American major since 2023 and the Aussie Open since 2025.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the ATP circuit will have video reviews in place at all of its events.
Further Updates
A further change at The Championships this year involves the introduction of visual indicators on displays to complement the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves situations where the crowd have occasionally been unsure whether a shot was in or out.
Finally, with exactly 100 days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have also announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
