Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in employing video review technology.
Replay technology will make its debut at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes will gain the ability to contest specific rulings from the chair umpire, following the practice currently in operation at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
The new system will be operational on Centre Court and the number one court throughout the Championships and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles contests.
This step follows just a season following the AELTC introduced ELC, which effectively ended the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to challenge the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the official to review specific situations, such as:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot made contact with an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Possible interference at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there is no cap on the number of challenges a player can ask for.
Case in Point
A recent incident took place in a recent tournament recently, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper admitted it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his opponent had "played the rules effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and ruled Draper was guilty of hindrance, granting the rally to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews aren't exclusive to major tournaments. It was adopted at the American major for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews in place at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another innovation at The Championships 2025 will be the addition of graphical cues on displays to support the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where fans have occasionally been unsure if a shot was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have also announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
