Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in implementing video review systems.
Replay technology will be launched at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes are granted the ability to question specific calls made by the chair umpire, mirroring the system already in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
The new system will be accessible on the main stadium and the number one court for the duration of the Championships and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This move arrives only a season following the All England Club rolled out electronic line calling, which effectively ended the longstanding role of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Players will not be permitted to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to review other decisions, including:
- If a ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball made contact with an rival's racket or body on the way past.
- Possible interference at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there will be an unlimited number on the amount of reviews a competitor can request.
A Recent Example
An illustrative example occurred in a recent tournament last week, where a top player used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted it was a tough situation for the umpire, but thought his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a video and ruled Draper was responsible for interference, granting the point to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. The system was adopted at the American major for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit will have the system implemented at all of its tournaments.
Other Changes
A further innovation at The Championships 2025 involves the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses instances where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain if a ball was in or out.
Finally, with precisely a century of days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have also announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
