Wimbledon Adopts Video Challenge System for the First Time.
Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in employing replay technology.
Replay systems are set to arrive at Wimbledon this year.
Competitors will gain the ability to contest specific decisions made by the official, mirroring the system currently in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be accessible on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This move arrives only a season following the AELTC rolled out electronic line calling, which terminated the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the umpire to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a shot made contact with an rival's racket or person during play.
- Potential interference end of a rally.
Notably, there will be no cap on the amount of challenges a player can ask for.
Case in Point
A recent incident took place in Indian Wells last week, where a top player initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a tough call for the umpire, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and ruled the player was responsible for hindrance, granting the rally to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews aren't new for major tournaments. It has been in use at the US Open since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews in place at all of its events.
Additional Innovations
Another change at The Championships this year will be the addition of visual indicators on displays to complement the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where the crowd have sometimes been unsure if a ball was in or out.
In other news, with precisely 100 days to go until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have also announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
