Wimbledon Introduces Video Replay System This Season.
The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in implementing replay systems.
Video review systems are set to arrive at Wimbledon in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes will gain the option to contest certain rulings made by the chair umpire, echoing the system currently in use at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This technology is slated for use on the main stadium and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This move follows just a year after the All England Club rolled out electronic line calling, which effectively ended the 147-year role of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Players will not be permitted to challenge the call of the electronic line calling, but they can 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.
- Potential interference end of a point.
Importantly, there will be no limit on the number of challenges a competitor can ask for.
A Recent Example
A recent example occurred in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player conceded it was a tough situation for the official, but believed his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire viewed a replay and ruled Draper was responsible for hindrance, granting the point to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
This technology aren't exclusive to Grand Slams. The system was adopted at the American major for two years and the Aussie Open since 2025.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have the system implemented at all of its events.
Further Updates
Another change at The Championships 2025 will be the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where fans have sometimes been uncertain whether a ball was out or in.
In other news, with precisely a century of days to go until the start of the Championships, organizers have also revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
