Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in utilizing video review technology.
Video review technology will make its debut at The Championships this year.
Competitors are granted the right to question certain calls made by the official, following the system currently in place at each of the US Open and the Aussie major.
The new system will be operational on Centre Court and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This move comes just a year after the AELTC implemented ELC, which terminated the 147-year role of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to review specific situations, such as:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot touched an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there is no cap on the number of challenges a competitor can initiate.
Case in Point
An illustrative incident occurred in a recent tournament recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a tough situation for the umpire, but believed his rival had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire watched a video and ruled Draper was guilty of hindrance, awarding the rally to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews are not exclusive to Grand Slams. It was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Aussie Open since 2025.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews in place at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year involves the introduction of graphical cues on displays to complement the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain whether a shot was out or in.
Finally, with precisely 100 days to go until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have also revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
