Wimbledon Embraces Video Review Technology This Season.
The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in employing replay systems.
Video review systems are set to arrive at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Competitors are granted the ability to question certain calls from the official, following the protocol already in place at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation is slated for use on Centre Court and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This move follows just a year after the All England Club introduced ELC, which terminated the longstanding role of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Players will not be permitted to challenge the call of the ELC system, but they can ask for the umpire to re-examine other decisions, including:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot touched an opponent's racquet or person on the way past.
- Possible interference end of a point.
Notably, there is no limit on the amount of challenges a player can ask for.
Practical Application
An illustrative incident took place in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the review system against Jack Draper.
The British player conceded it was a difficult call for the umpire, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a video and determined the player was responsible for interference, granting the point to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews aren't new for major tournaments. It was adopted at the American major for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have the system implemented at all of its tournaments.
Further Updates
Another innovation at The Championships this year will be the addition of graphical cues on displays to complement the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have occasionally been unsure whether a ball was in or out.
Finally, with exactly a century of days to go until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have further revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
