After almost 150 years, Wimbledon is breaking with another tradition. The oldest Grand Slam tournament thus follows the other top events.
Tennis has been played at Wimbledon since 1877. Last year, the prestigious Grand Slam tournament opened up to the use of modern technology for the first time – now the next decades-long tradition is being broken.
As the organizing All England Club announced on Saturday, a video umpire will be used for the first time at this summer’s Wimbledon Championships.
The technology will be used on a total of six courts at the oldest Grand Slam tournament in tennis. In addition to Center Court and Court Number One, four other main courts will be able to use video refereeing.
Wimbledon follows other Grand Slams
In future, players will be able to have certain decisions made by the chair umpire, such as doubles collisions, reviewed. There is to be no limit for reviews.
Last year, Wimbledon introduced an electronic system that indicates whether a ball has landed inside or outside the court. The accuracy of this decision cannot be contested by the players.
The first time VAR was used at a Grand Slam tournament was at the 2023 US Open. The Australian Open followed suit in 2025, now Wimbledon is next.
