Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in implementing replay technology.
Video review systems will make its debut at Wimbledon for the 2025 edition.
Athletes are granted the ability to question certain rulings made by the chair umpire, following the practice currently in use at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system will be operational on Centre Court and Court One throughout the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles contests.
This move arrives only a year after the All England Club introduced ELC, which brought an end to the 147-year role of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to re-examine other situations, such as:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball touched an opponent's racquet or body during play.
- Possible hindrance end of a point.
Notably, there will be no cap on the amount of reviews a competitor can ask for.
Practical Application
A recent incident occurred in a recent tournament recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player conceded it was a tough call for the official, but believed his rival had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire viewed a video and ruled Draper was responsible for hindrance, granting the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
This technology aren't new for major tournaments. The system was adopted at the American major for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have the system in place at every one of its tournaments.
Further Updates
A further change at Wimbledon 2025 involves the addition of graphical cues on displays to complement the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves instances where fans have sometimes been unsure whether a ball was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have further announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
