The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in employing video review systems.
Video review technology are set to arrive at The Championships this year.
Athletes will gain the ability to contest certain calls made by the chair umpire, echoing the protocol already in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This technology is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This development follows just a year after the AELTC rolled out ELC, which brought an end to the centuries-old role 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 umpire to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball touched an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there is no cap on the number of reviews a competitor can initiate.
A Recent Example
An illustrative example occurred in a recent tournament last week, where a top player used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper admitted it was a tough call for the umpire, but thought his rival had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire viewed a replay and determined Draper was responsible for interference, granting the rally to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
This technology aren't exclusive to major tournaments. The system was adopted at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open since 2025.
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 implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Further Updates
A further innovation at The Championships this year will be the introduction of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This solves instances where spectators have occasionally been uncertain whether a ball was out or in.
Finally, with exactly a century of days to go until the start of the Championships, organizers have also revealed an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
