Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in employing replay technology.
Replay systems are set to arrive at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Players are granted the right to challenge certain calls from the chair umpire, mirroring the protocol currently in use at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be accessible on Centre Court and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step comes just a year after the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which effectively ended the 147-year role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to review specific decisions, including:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- If a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or person on the way past.
- Possible interference end of a point.
Notably, there is no cap on the number of reviews a competitor can initiate.
A Recent Example
A recent example occurred in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the review system against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his rival had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire watched a video and determined the player was responsible for hindrance, granting the rally to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
This technology aren't exclusive to major tournaments. The system was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open since 2025.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system in place at all of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at The Championships this year involves the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves instances where the crowd have sometimes been unsure whether a ball was out or in.
In other news, with exactly 100 days to go until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have also revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
