Wimbledon Embraces Video Challenge Technology for the First Time.
The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in implementing video review systems.
Video review technology will be launched at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors are granted the option to challenge certain rulings from the official, echoing the system already in use at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
This technology is slated for use on Centre Court and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This development comes just a year after the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which effectively ended the centuries-old role of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but they can ask for the official to review other situations, including:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- If a shot touched an rival's racket or body during play.
- Possible interference end of a point.
Importantly, there is no cap on the amount of reviews a player can request.
A Recent Example
An illustrative incident took place in a recent tournament recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the review system against Jack Draper.
Draper conceded it was a difficult call for the umpire, but believed his rival had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire viewed a replay and determined Draper was responsible for hindrance, awarding the rally to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
This technology aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. It has been in use at the US Open since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have the system implemented at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further change at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of visual indicators on displays to complement the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves instances where the crowd have sometimes been unsure if a shot was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the tournament, organizers have also revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
