Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in implementing video review technology.
Replay technology will make its debut at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Players are granted the right to contest certain rulings from the chair umpire, following the practice currently in place at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This technology will be operational on the main stadium and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This development comes just a season following the AELTC rolled out ELC, which effectively ended the 147-year role of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Players cannot to challenge the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but they can request the official to re-examine specific decisions, such as:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball made contact with an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there will be no cap on the number of challenges a player can request.
A Recent Example
A recent incident took place in Indian Wells last week, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a tough situation for the umpire, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
The umpire watched a video and ruled the player was guilty of hindrance, granting the rally to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews are not new for 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 next season the men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further change at Wimbledon this year involves the introduction of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain if a ball was in or out.
In other news, with precisely a century of days to go until the start of the Championships, organizers have also revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
