Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in implementing replay systems.
Video review technology will make its debut at Wimbledon for the 2025 edition.
Players are granted the ability to contest particular calls made by the official, mirroring the protocol already in place at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system will be operational on the main stadium and Court One throughout the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This development arrives only a year after the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which terminated the longstanding tradition of line judges.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to challenge the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the umpire to review other situations, including:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball touched an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Possible interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there is no cap on the number of reviews a competitor can initiate.
Practical Application
An illustrative incident occurred in a recent tournament recently, where a top player used the video challenge against Jack Draper.
Draper conceded it was a tough situation for the official, but believed his opponent had "used the regulations quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and determined the player was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews are not new for major tournaments. It 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 the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Other Changes
A further change at Wimbledon this year will be the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This solves instances where the crowd have occasionally been uncertain whether a ball was in or out.
Finally, with exactly a century of days to go until the start of the Championships, organizers have also revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
