Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in employing replay systems.
Replay technology will be launched at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Athletes are granted the option to contest particular rulings from the chair umpire, following the protocol currently in operation at both the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This development comes just a season following the AELTC rolled out ELC, which effectively ended the longstanding tradition of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the official to review other decisions, such as:
- If a ball has double-bounced.
- If a shot made contact with an rival's racket or body during play.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there will be no limit on the amount of challenges a competitor can initiate.
Practical Application
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 official, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and ruled the player was guilty of hindrance, awarding the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
This technology aren't exclusive to major tournaments. It was adopted at the American major since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Further Updates
Another change at The Championships this year will be the introduction of visual indicators on displays to complement the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where spectators have sometimes been unsure whether a ball was in or out.
Finally, with exactly 100 days remaining until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have also revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
