Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in employing video review technology.
Replay systems are set to arrive at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Athletes will gain the option to challenge particular calls made by the chair umpire, following the system already in operation at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the Championships and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This development follows just a year after the AELTC introduced ELC, which terminated the longstanding tradition of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to challenge the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to review specific decisions, including:
- If a ball has double-bounced.
- If a ball made contact with an rival's racket or person during play.
- Potential interference end of a rally.
Notably, there is an unlimited number on the amount of challenges a player can ask for.
Practical Application
An illustrative case took place in Indian Wells last week, where Daniil Medvedev used the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a difficult situation for the official, but thought his rival had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and determined Draper was guilty of interference, granting the point to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
This technology are not exclusive to Grand Slams. It 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 the coming year the ATP circuit will have the system implemented at all of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another innovation at The Championships this year will be the addition of graphical cues on displays to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where spectators have sometimes been unsure if a ball was in or out.
Finally, with exactly a century of days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have further announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
