Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in utilizing replay technology.
Replay technology will make its debut at The Championships this year.
Athletes will gain the ability to question particular decisions from the chair umpire, mirroring the practice already in operation at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be accessible on the main stadium and Court One throughout the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step arrives only a season following the AELTC introduced ELC, which terminated the 147-year role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the official to review specific situations, including:
- If a ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball made contact with an rival's racket or body on the way past.
- Potential interference end of a rally.
Notably, there will be an unlimited number on the number of reviews a player can ask for.
Case in Point
An illustrative case occurred in a recent tournament last week, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his opponent had "played the rules effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and determined Draper was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
This technology are not exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the American major since 2023 and the Australian Open since 2025.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have the system in place at all of its tournaments.
Other Changes
A further change at The Championships this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where spectators have sometimes been unsure whether a ball was in or out.
In other news, with precisely a century of days to go until the start of the tournament, organizers have also announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
