Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in utilizing replay systems.
Video review technology will be launched at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Competitors will gain the option to contest certain decisions made by the chair umpire, mirroring the system already in place at each of the US Open and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be operational on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This move comes just a season following the All England Club rolled out ELC, which effectively ended the 147-year tradition of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to review specific decisions, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball made contact with an rival's racket or body during play.
- Possible hindrance end of a rally.
Importantly, there will be no limit on the number of reviews a competitor can initiate.
Case in Point
A recent incident took place in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a tough situation for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a video and ruled the player was guilty of hindrance, awarding the rally to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews are not new for Grand Slams. It was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Aussie Open since 2025.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews implemented at all of its tournaments.
Further Updates
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses instances where spectators have sometimes been uncertain if a ball was in or out.
Finally, with precisely a century of days remaining until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have also announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
