Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in employing video review technology.
Replay technology will make its debut at Wimbledon for the 2025 edition.
Athletes will gain the option to challenge particular rulings made by the chair umpire, mirroring the practice currently in use at each of the US Open and the Aussie major.
The new system will be operational on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This step arrives only a season following the All England Club rolled out electronic line calling, which effectively ended the 147-year tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to challenge the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the official to review other situations, such as:
- If a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball touched an rival's racket or body on the way past.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there will be no limit on the number of reviews a competitor can ask for.
Practical Application
A recent incident took place in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a tough call for the official, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire watched a replay and determined the player was guilty of interference, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. The system has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the ATP circuit will have the system implemented at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at Wimbledon 2025 will be the introduction of visual indicators on displays to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where fans have occasionally been unsure if a ball was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the beginning of the tournament, organizers have further revealed an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
