Wimbledon Adopts Video Review System This Season.
Wimbledon will follow the American and Aussie Opens in employing video review systems.
Replay systems will make its debut at Wimbledon this year.
Competitors will gain the right to question certain rulings made by the chair umpire, echoing the practice currently in place at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation will be operational on the main stadium and the number one court for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles contests.
This step follows just a year after the AELTC implemented ELC, which brought an end to the 147-year tradition of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to challenge the call of the electronic line calling, but are allowed to request the official to review specific situations, such as:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a shot made contact with an rival's racket or person during play.
- Potential hindrance end of a rally.
Notably, there is an unlimited number on the amount of reviews a player can initiate.
Practical Application
An illustrative incident took place in a recent tournament last week, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a difficult call for the umpire, but thought his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a replay and ruled Draper was responsible for hindrance, granting the rally to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
This technology aren't exclusive to major tournaments. It was adopted at the American major for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have the system in place at all of its tournaments.
Further Updates
Another change at The Championships 2025 will be the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where fans have sometimes been unsure whether a shot was out or in.
Finally, with exactly 100 days to go until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have also announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
