Wimbledon Adopts Video Review Technology for the First Time.
The tournament joins the US and Australian Opens in employing replay systems.
Video review technology will be launched at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Players will gain the option to challenge specific rulings made by the chair umpire, echoing the protocol already in place at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
This technology will be operational on Centre Court and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This development comes just a year after the All England Club introduced electronic line calling, which terminated the longstanding tradition of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the umpire to re-examine specific situations, including:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a shot touched an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Potential interference end of a point.
Importantly, there is no limit on the number of challenges a player can initiate.
A Recent Example
A recent incident took place in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper conceded it was a tough situation for the umpire, but believed his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
The umpire viewed a video and determined the player was responsible for interference, awarding the rally to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
This technology are not exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have the system implemented at every one of its events.
Further Updates
A further change at Wimbledon 2025 involves the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses instances where the crowd 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 announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
