The tournament joins the American and Aussie Opens in utilizing replay technology.
Replay technology will be launched at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes are granted the right to challenge particular decisions made by the official, echoing the practice currently in operation at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This technology will be operational on the main stadium and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step follows just a season following the AELTC implemented electronic line calling, which effectively ended the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to dispute the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but they can ask for the umpire to review other decisions, such as:
- If a ball has bounced twice.
- If a shot touched an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Possible interference end of a rally.
Importantly, there is no cap on the number of challenges a player can initiate.
A Recent Example
A recent case occurred in a recent tournament recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his rival had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire viewed a video and determined Draper was responsible for hindrance, granting the rally to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
This technology are not new for Grand Slams. The system was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have the system in place at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
Another innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves instances where the crowd have occasionally been unsure whether a ball was out or in.
In other news, with precisely 100 days to go until the start of the tournament, the AELTC have further revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
