Wimbledon Introduces Video Challenge Technology This Season.
Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in utilizing replay systems.
Video review technology will make its debut at Wimbledon for the 2025 edition.
Athletes will gain the option to contest certain decisions from the official, mirroring the system currently in place at each of the US Open 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 hosting singles matches.
This move arrives only a season following the AELTC rolled out ELC, which brought an end to the centuries-old role of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to review specific situations, such as:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or body during play.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there will be no limit on the number of challenges a competitor can request.
Case in Point
A recent case took place in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player conceded it was a tough call for the official, but thought his opponent had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire viewed a replay and determined the player was responsible for interference, granting the rally to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
This technology are not new for major tournaments. It was adopted at the American major for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by next season the men's ATP Tour plans to have video reviews implemented at all of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further innovation at Wimbledon 2025 will be the introduction of visual indicators on displays to support the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where the crowd have sometimes been unsure if a shot was out or in.
In other news, with precisely a century of days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have further revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.