Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in implementing video review technology.
Replay systems are set to arrive at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Players are granted the right to contest certain decisions from the chair umpire, mirroring the system already in place at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
The new system will be operational on Centre Court and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This step follows just a season following the AELTC rolled out electronic line calling, which terminated the longstanding role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to re-examine specific decisions, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot touched an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Possible interference end of a rally.
Importantly, there is no cap on the amount of challenges a competitor can ask for.
A Recent Example
An illustrative case took place in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his rival had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire viewed a video and determined Draper was responsible for interference, granting the point to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews aren't exclusive to major tournaments. It was adopted at the American major since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews in place at all of its tournaments.
Other Changes
A further change at The Championships this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on displays to complement the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves situations where fans have sometimes been uncertain whether a ball was in or out.
Finally, with precisely 100 days remaining until the start of the Championships, organizers have also announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
