Wimbledon Embraces Video Replay System This Season.
The tournament joins the US and Aussie Opens in employing replay systems.
Replay technology will be launched at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Athletes will gain the ability to challenge certain rulings made by the official, mirroring the practice currently in use at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
The new system will be operational on Centre Court and Court One throughout the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This step arrives only a season following the All England Club rolled out ELC, which brought an end to the 147-year tradition of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to challenge the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to review other decisions, such as:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball touched an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Possible interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there will be an unlimited number on the amount of reviews a competitor can ask for.
Practical Application
An illustrative case took place in Indian Wells last week, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a difficult call for the official, but thought his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire viewed a video and determined Draper was guilty of hindrance, awarding the rally to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
This technology aren't new for Grand Slams. It was adopted at the American major since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews in place at every one of its tournaments.
Other Changes
A further innovation at The Championships this year will be the introduction of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where spectators have occasionally been unsure if a ball was in or out.
Finally, with precisely a century of days to go until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have also announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
