Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in implementing video review systems.
Video review systems are set to arrive at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes are granted the ability to challenge specific decisions from the chair umpire, following the protocol already in operation at each of the US Open and the Australian Open.
The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This move arrives only a year after the All England Club implemented electronic line calling, which terminated the centuries-old role of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Competitors cannot to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can request the official to re-examine specific situations, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a shot touched an opponent's racquet or body during play.
- Possible interference end of a point.
Notably, there is an unlimited number on the number of reviews a player can request.
A Recent Example
An illustrative incident took place in a recent tournament recently, where a top player initiated the review system against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted it was a difficult situation for the official, but believed his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire viewed a video and ruled Draper was guilty of hindrance, awarding the rally to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
This technology are not exclusive to major tournaments. The system was adopted at the American major since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have the system in place at every one of its tournaments.
Further Updates
A further change at The Championships 2025 will be the addition of graphical cues on displays to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where spectators have sometimes been uncertain whether a ball was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days to go until the beginning of the Championships, organizers have further announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
