Wimbledon Embraces Video Replay System This Season.
The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in implementing video review technology.
Replay systems will be launched at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Athletes are granted the ability to challenge certain calls made by the chair umpire, echoing the system already in operation at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
The new system will be accessible on Centre Court and Court One throughout the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step follows just a year after the All England Club rolled out ELC, which terminated the 147-year tradition of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to challenge the call of the ELC system, but they can request the umpire to re-examine other decisions, such as:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- If a ball made contact with an rival's racket or body during play.
- Possible hindrance end of a rally.
Importantly, there is no limit on the number of reviews a competitor can request.
Case in Point
An illustrative incident occurred in Indian Wells recently, where a top player used the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a tough situation for the official, but believed his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire viewed a replay and determined the player was guilty of hindrance, granting the point to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open since 2025.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the ATP circuit will have video reviews in place at every one of its events.
Further Updates
Another change at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves situations where spectators have occasionally been uncertain if a ball was out or in.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, organizers have also announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.