The tournament joins the American and Aussie Opens in implementing replay technology.
Replay systems are set to arrive at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes will gain the option to question specific rulings from the chair umpire, mirroring the practice already in operation at each of the US Open and the Aussie major.
The new system 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 matches.
This development comes just a year after the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which effectively ended the 147-year tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Players will not be permitted to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the official to review other decisions, such as:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Possible hindrance end of a point.
Importantly, there is an unlimited number on the number of reviews a player can ask for.
Case in Point
A recent example took place in Indian Wells last week, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a tough call for the official, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire viewed a video and ruled the player was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
This technology aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. The system has been in use 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 the system implemented at all of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further change at The Championships this year will be the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where the crowd have occasionally been unsure if a shot was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have further announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
