Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in utilizing video review systems.
Replay systems are set to arrive at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Players will gain the right to contest certain rulings from the chair umpire, mirroring the protocol currently in use at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This move arrives only a year after the AELTC rolled out electronic line calling, which effectively ended the centuries-old role of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but they can ask for the official to re-examine specific decisions, such as:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball touched an rival's racket or body on the way past.
- Possible interference end of a rally.
Importantly, there will be no cap on the number of challenges a player can initiate.
Practical Application
An illustrative example occurred in a recent tournament recently, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a difficult call for the official, but believed his opponent had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire viewed a replay and ruled Draper was guilty of hindrance, granting the rally to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
This technology are not exclusive to Grand Slams. It was adopted at the American major since 2023 and the Australian Open since 2025.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews implemented at all of its tournaments.
Other Changes
A further change at The Championships this year involves the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves instances where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain if a shot was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the beginning of the Championships, organizers have further revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.