Wimbledon Adopts Video Replay System in 2025.
The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in employing video review systems.
Video review technology are set to arrive at Wimbledon for the 2025 edition.
Athletes will gain the right to contest particular calls from the official, echoing the practice currently in place at both the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This technology is slated for use on Centre Court and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This move follows just a year after the AELTC rolled out ELC, which brought an end to the 147-year role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors will not be permitted to challenge the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the official to review specific decisions, such as:
- Whether a ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot made contact with an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there is an unlimited number on the amount of challenges a player can request.
Case in Point
A recent case took place in Indian Wells last week, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted it was a difficult situation for the official, but believed his opponent had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire watched a replay and ruled Draper was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
This technology aren't new for Grand Slams. The system has been in use at the American major for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system in place at all of its tournaments.
Other Changes
Another change at The Championships 2025 involves the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain if a shot was in or out.
In other news, with precisely a century of days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, organizers have further announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.