Wimbledon Embraces Video Replay Technology in 2025.
Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in employing video review systems.
Replay systems are set to arrive at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Players are granted the option to question certain decisions from the chair umpire, following the practice currently in use at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
The new system will be operational on the main stadium and Court One throughout the Championships and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This step comes just a season following the All England Club rolled out electronic line calling, which terminated the longstanding role of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors will not be permitted to challenge the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the official to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Possible interference end of a rally.
Notably, there will be no limit on the amount of reviews a player can request.
Practical Application
A recent example occurred in a recent tournament recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player conceded it was a difficult call for the umpire, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations quite well."
The umpire viewed a video and determined the player was responsible for interference, awarding the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews aren't exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the American major since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit will have video reviews implemented at all of its events.
Further Updates
A further change at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on displays to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves instances where fans have occasionally been unsure if a shot was in or out.
Finally, with precisely a century of days to go until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have also announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
