LONDON — Wimbledon, the oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament, will introduce video review technology at this year’s Championships, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) announced on Saturday, March 21, 2026.
The system marks a significant modernisation for the event, allowing players to challenge specific judgement calls made by the chair umpire. It brings Wimbledon in line with the other Grand Slams, where similar technology has already been implemented.
Available on Six Show Courts
Video review will be available on six key show courts: Centre Court, No. 1 Court, No. 2 Court, No. 3 Court, Court 12, and Court 18. Centre Court and No. 1 Court will have the technology throughout the entire tournament, which begins on June 29, 2026. The other four courts will use it when hosting singles matches.
What Players Can Challenge
Players will be permitted to review specific judgement calls by the chair umpire, including:
- “Not-up” (double bounce)
- Foul shots
- Touches of the racket or body
- Hindrance incidents
Reviews can be requested either immediately on a point-ending call (by stopping play) or right after the completion of a point in the case of hindrance. Importantly, there will be no limit on the number of reviews a player can request during a match.
However, players will not be able to challenge decisions made by the Electronic Line Calling (ELC) system, which fully replaced line judges at Wimbledon in 2025 and uses Hawk-Eye technology for automated line calls.
Context and Background
The introduction of video review follows the controversial rollout of full electronic line calling in 2025. That change ended more than 147 years of line judges at the tournament and led to several high-profile incidents, including system malfunctions blamed on human error, such as accidental deactivation of cameras during matches. Those issues prompted adjustments and the addition of player-initiated video reviews for umpire judgements to enhance accuracy and fairness.
Video review technology first debuted at a Grand Slam at the 2023 US Open and has since been adopted by the Australian Open. It is also becoming standard across the WTA Tour, with the ATP expected to follow suit.
In a statement, the AELTC emphasised that the new system will help resolve ambiguous on-court situations more accurately while preserving the tournament’s traditions where possible.
This development represents another step in tennis’s ongoing embrace of technology to improve decision-making, even as Wimbledon maintains its status as the most traditional of the four major championships.
For the latest details and any refinements ahead of the 2026 tournament, fans should consult the official Wimbledon website or reports from BBC Sport, Reuters, and ESPN.
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