Wimbledon Adopts Video Replay System This Season.
The tournament joins the American and Aussie Opens in implementing video review technology.
Replay systems will be launched at The Championships this year.
Athletes are granted the option to question specific calls from the official, following the system already in use at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be operational on Centre Court and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This development arrives only a year after the AELTC rolled out ELC, which effectively ended the 147-year tradition of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Players will not be permitted to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to re-examine specific decisions, including:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or body during play.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there is no cap on the amount of reviews a competitor can request.
Case in Point
An illustrative incident took place in Indian Wells recently, where Daniil Medvedev used the review system against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a tough situation for the official, but thought his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire viewed a video and determined Draper was responsible for hindrance, granting the point to Medvedev.
Growing Trend
This technology are not exclusive to Grand Slams. It has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by next season the men's ATP Tour will have the system in place at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at Wimbledon 2025 will be the introduction of graphical cues on displays to support the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain whether a shot was out or in.
In other news, with exactly 100 days remaining until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have also revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
