Wimbledon Embraces Video Replay System in 2025.
Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in utilizing video review technology.
Video review technology are set to arrive at Wimbledon this year.
Players will gain the right to contest certain rulings from the chair umpire, following the protocol already in place at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This technology will be operational on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This step comes just a year after the All England Club introduced electronic line calling, which brought an end to the centuries-old tradition of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players will not be permitted to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to re-examine other decisions, such as:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a ball made contact with an rival's racket or body on the way past.
- Possible interference end of a point.
Importantly, there is no limit on the amount of reviews a competitor can initiate.
Practical Application
An illustrative incident took place in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the review system against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a tough call for the official, but thought his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and determined Draper was guilty of hindrance, granting the point to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
This technology are not exclusive to major tournaments. The system was adopted at the American major since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the ATP circuit will have the system implemented at all of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where fans have occasionally been uncertain if a shot was in or out.
In other news, with precisely a century of days to go until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have further announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
