Wimbledon Embraces Video Review System This Season.
The tournament joins the US and Aussie Opens in employing replay technology.
Replay systems are set to arrive at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Players will gain the option to challenge certain decisions from the chair umpire, following the practice currently in place at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
This innovation is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles contests.
This move follows just a season following the All England Club rolled out electronic line calling, which terminated the 147-year role of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Players will not be permitted to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can request the umpire to re-examine specific decisions, such as:
- If a ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball touched an rival's racket or person during play.
- Potential interference end of a point.
Importantly, there will be no cap on the number of reviews a competitor can initiate.
Practical Application
An illustrative example took place in Indian Wells last week, where a top player initiated the review system against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted it was a difficult call for the umpire, but thought his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire viewed a video and determined the player was guilty of hindrance, granting the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews aren't exclusive to major tournaments. It was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews implemented at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
Another change at The Championships this year involves the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where spectators have occasionally been unsure if a shot was out or in.
Finally, with exactly 100 days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have further revealed an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
