For most of its history, Wimbledon left line calls to human judges and the remaining judgment calls to the chair umpire alone. That changed quickly. After replacing its line judges with electronic line calling in 2025, the All England Club introduced video review in 2026, giving players a formal way to contest certain umpire decisions for the first time. The system is narrower than the Hawk-Eye challenge most fans remember, and knowing what it does and does not cover is the key to reading a Wimbledon match correctly.
What video review covers
Video review applies to the chair umpire’s judgment calls, the close, real-time decisions that have always been hardest to get right. A player can ask the umpire to consult a replay on a not-up call, when a ball is judged to have bounced twice before it was struck; on a touch, when the ball makes contact with a player or anything they are wearing or carrying; on a foul shot, such as striking the ball before it crosses the net; and on hindrance, when one player is judged to have distracted or impeded the other. In each case the umpire reviews the footage and either confirms or overturns the original call.
What it does not cover
The single most important limit is that video review does not apply to line calls. Whether a ball landed in or out is decided by electronic line calling, and those decisions are final and cannot be contested. The two systems are separate. Electronic line calling settles where the ball landed; video review settles what happened during play. A player who disagrees with an in-or-out call has no recourse.
How it differs from the old challenge system
Anyone who remembers the Hawk-Eye challenge era will notice two changes. Under the old system, players received a limited number of challenges per set and lost one each time they were wrong, which made every challenge a tactical gamble. Video review carries no such cap and no penalty for an unsuccessful request. A player can ask for a review whenever they believe a judgment call was missed, without fear of running out or being punished for guessing wrong. The trade-off is scope. The old challenges were about lines; the new reviews are about everything except lines.
How a review is triggered
The request must come within a narrow window: on a point-ending call, at the moment a player stops play believing an error has occurred, or immediately after a point in the case of hindrance. Reviews cannot be raised long after the fact or held back for a later moment in the game. The timing requirement keeps matches moving and limits review to incidents the umpire can fairly reassess.
Where Wimbledon sits among the majors
Wimbledon was the last of the grass- and hard-court majors to adopt the technology. The US Open has used video review since 2023 and the Australian Open added it in 2026, leaving the three closely aligned on how disputed judgment calls are handled. The French Open, played on clay, takes a different path: ball marks on the surface give umpires physical evidence that grass and hard courts cannot, which has left Roland Garros less reliant on replay.
At the 2026 Championships. Video review made its Wimbledon debut at the 139th Championships, beginning 29 June 2026. It was available on Centre Court, No. 1 Court, No. 2 Court, No. 3 Court, Court 12 and Court 18. The All England Club also added scoreboard indicators showing “out” and “fault” across the courts, giving spectators a visual cue alongside the audio calls from the electronic line-calling system.
Frequently asked questions
Can players challenge line calls at Wimbledon? No. Line calls are made by electronic line calling and are final. Video review covers only the chair umpire’s judgment calls.
How many video reviews does a player get? There is no limit, and there is no penalty for an unsuccessful request.
What kinds of calls can be reviewed? Not-up (double bounce), touch, foul shot and hindrance.
Which courts have video review? It debuted on six show courts in 2026: Centre, No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, Court 12 and Court 18.
Related reading
- How Wimbledon seeding works
- Wimbledon tournament guide
- Electronic line calling explained
