Wimbledon Adopts Video Challenge System for the First Time.

Video review systems will be launched at The Championships this year.

Competitors will gain the right to challenge certain calls from the chair umpire, mirroring the protocol currently in operation at both the US Open and the Aussie major.

This technology will be accessible on the main stadium and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles contests.

This development arrives only a year after the AELTC implemented electronic line calling, which effectively ended the 147-year tradition of line officials.

Reviewable Decisions

Competitors will not be permitted to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the official to re-examine specific decisions, including:

• If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
• Whether a ball made contact with an rival's racket or body during play.
• Possible interference end of a point.

Importantly, there will be no limit on the number of challenges a competitor can initiate.

Case in Point

An illustrative example occurred in a recent tournament recently, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against Jack Draper.

Draper conceded it was a difficult situation for the official, but believed his opponent had "played the rules quite well."

The umpire watched a replay and ruled the player was responsible for interference, awarding the point to his opponent.

Wider Implementation

Video reviews are not new for major tournaments. It was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.

Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews in place at every one of its events.

Additional Innovations

A further change at The Championships this year involves the introduction of visual indicators on displays to support the audio calls from the ELC system.

This solves situations where spectators have sometimes been unsure whether a shot was in or out.

In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have also revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.