The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in implementing video review systems.
Video review systems will be launched at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes are granted the right to question specific calls made by the chair umpire, mirroring the system currently in operation at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One throughout the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This development comes just a season following the AELTC rolled out ELC, which terminated the longstanding tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors will not be permitted to challenge the call of the ELC system, but they can request the umpire to re-examine other decisions, such as:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Potential hindrance end of a point.
Importantly, there is an unlimited number on the number of reviews a player can initiate.
Case in Point
A recent case occurred in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a tough call for the umpire, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire viewed a video and ruled the player was guilty of interference, awarding the rally to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
This technology aren't exclusive to major tournaments. The system was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open since 2025.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have the system in place at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
Another change at The Championships this year involves the introduction of graphical cues on displays to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses instances where spectators have sometimes been uncertain whether a ball was out or in.
Finally, with precisely a century of days remaining until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have further announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
