Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in employing video review technology.
Video review systems will be launched at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Players will gain the ability to challenge certain calls from the official, echoing the protocol currently in place at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be operational on Centre Court and Court One for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This move comes just a year after the All England Club rolled out electronic line calling, which effectively ended the longstanding role of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to challenge the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to re-examine specific situations, including:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball touched an rival's racket or body during play.
- Potential hindrance end of a rally.
Notably, there will be no limit on the number of challenges a competitor can request.
Case in Point
An illustrative example took place in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a difficult call for the umpire, but thought his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire viewed a video and determined the player was responsible for hindrance, granting the point to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
This technology are not new for major tournaments. The system has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system in place at all of its events.
Further Updates
A further change at The Championships 2025 involves the introduction of visual indicators on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses instances where the crowd have occasionally been unsure whether a ball was out or in.
Finally, with precisely a century of days to go until the start of the tournament, the AELTC have also announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
