Wimbledon Introduces Video Review Technology This Season.
The tournament joins the American and Aussie Opens in utilizing replay technology.
Video review technology are set to arrive at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Competitors will gain the right to contest certain decisions from the official, mirroring the practice 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 Championships and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This development arrives only a season following the AELTC rolled out electronic line calling, which effectively ended the longstanding tradition of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Players cannot to challenge the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to re-examine specific situations, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot touched an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Potential hindrance at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there is no limit on the number of reviews a competitor can ask for.
A Recent Example
An illustrative example occurred in Indian Wells last week, where a top player initiated the review system against Jack Draper.
Draper conceded it was a difficult situation for the official, but thought his rival had "played the rules quite well."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a video and ruled the player was guilty of interference, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Wider Implementation
Video reviews are not new for major tournaments. The system has been in use at the US Open since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by next season the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews in place at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another innovation at The Championships 2025 involves the introduction of graphical cues on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves instances where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain if a ball was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have further announced an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
