The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in employing video review technology.
Replay technology are set to arrive at The Championships this year.
Competitors will gain the right to challenge certain decisions made by the official, mirroring the practice currently in place at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This technology will be accessible on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This move arrives only a season following the All England Club rolled out electronic line calling, which effectively ended the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players will not be permitted to dispute the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the umpire to review specific situations, including:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot touched an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Potential interference end of a rally.
Importantly, there is no limit on the number of reviews a competitor can request.
Practical Application
A recent case occurred in a recent tournament recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a difficult call for the official, but thought his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a replay and determined the player was responsible for interference, granting the rally to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews aren't new for major tournaments. It was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Other Changes
Another 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 the crowd have occasionally been unsure if a shot was out or in.
In other news, with precisely a century of days remaining until the start of the Championships, organizers have further announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
