The tournament joins the American and Aussie Opens in implementing replay systems.
Replay systems are set to arrive at Wimbledon for the 2025 edition.
Players are granted the option to contest certain rulings made by the chair umpire, echoing the protocol already in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles contests.
This development follows just a year after the All England Club rolled out electronic line calling, which terminated the centuries-old tradition of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Players will not be permitted to challenge the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the official to re-examine other decisions, such as:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball touched an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Potential interference end of a point.
Notably, there will be no limit on the amount of challenges a competitor can ask for.
Case in Point
An illustrative incident occurred in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev used the review system against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a difficult call for the umpire, but thought his rival had "played the rules effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a video and ruled the player was responsible for hindrance, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
This technology are not exclusive to major tournaments. The system was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Australian 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 in place at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another change at The Championships this year involves the addition of visual indicators on displays to complement the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses instances where spectators have occasionally been uncertain whether a shot was out or in.
In other news, with precisely 100 days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have further announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
