Wimbledon Adopts Video Review Technology This Season.
The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in implementing replay systems.
Video review technology are set to arrive at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Competitors are granted the right to question particular calls made by the chair umpire, following the practice already in place at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This technology will be accessible on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This development arrives only a year after the All England Club rolled out electronic line calling, which effectively ended the 147-year tradition of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to challenge the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to review other situations, such as:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or person on the way past.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there is no limit on the amount of challenges a competitor can request.
A Recent Example
An illustrative example took place in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the review system against Jack Draper.
Draper admitted it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and determined the player was guilty of interference, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews aren't new for major tournaments. It has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system implemented at all of its events.
Other Changes
Another innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on displays to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where spectators have occasionally been unsure if a shot was in or out.
Finally, with precisely a century of days to go until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have also revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
