The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in employing replay technology.
Video review systems are set to arrive at Wimbledon for the 2025 edition.
Players are granted the ability to question particular rulings made by the official, echoing the practice currently in use at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This technology will be operational on Centre Court and Court One throughout the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This step follows just a year after the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which effectively ended the 147-year role of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors will not be permitted to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to re-examine other decisions, such as:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball made contact with an rival's racket or person during play.
- Potential hindrance end of a point.
Notably, there is an unlimited number on the number of challenges a competitor can initiate.
Practical Application
An illustrative case occurred in a recent tournament recently, where a top player used the review system against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his opponent had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire watched a video and determined the player was responsible for hindrance, granting the point to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews are not new for Grand Slams. It has been in use 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 plans to have video reviews in place at every one of its tournaments.
Other Changes
A further change at Wimbledon this year involves the addition of graphical cues on displays to support the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This solves instances where spectators have sometimes been unsure if a shot was out or in.
Finally, with exactly a century of days to go until the start of the tournament, organizers have also announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
