Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in utilizing video review technology.
Replay systems will make its debut at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes will gain the ability to challenge certain calls from the chair umpire, mirroring the protocol currently in operation at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This technology is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One throughout the Championships and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This step comes just a year after the AELTC implemented ELC, which effectively ended the 147-year tradition of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to dispute the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but they can request the umpire to re-examine other decisions, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or person on the way past.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there will be no cap on the amount of reviews a player can ask for.
Practical Application
An illustrative example occurred in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a difficult situation for the official, but believed his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a video and ruled Draper was responsible for hindrance, granting the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews aren't new for major tournaments. The system was adopted at the American major since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews implemented at all of its tournaments.
Other Changes
A further innovation at The Championships 2025 will be the introduction of graphical cues on displays to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain if a shot was out or in.
Finally, with precisely a century of days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have also announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
