Wimbledon Embraces Video Challenge Technology for the First Time.
Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in employing video review systems.
Video review systems will make its debut at The Championships this year.
Athletes are granted the ability to contest specific calls made by the chair umpire, echoing the practice already in operation at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be operational on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This development comes just a year after the All England Club rolled out ELC, which brought an end to the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to challenge the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the official to review other decisions, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball touched an rival's racket or person during play.
- Possible interference end of a point.
Notably, there will be no limit on the amount of reviews a competitor can ask for.
Practical Application
An illustrative incident occurred in Indian Wells last week, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted it was a difficult situation for the official, but thought his rival had "used the regulations effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and ruled Draper was guilty of interference, granting the point to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. The system was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews in place at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
Another innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves instances where the crowd have sometimes been unsure whether a ball was out or in.
Finally, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the Championships, organizers have further revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
