Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in employing video review technology.
Video review systems are set to arrive at The Championships for the 2025 edition.
Players will gain the right to challenge certain rulings made by the official, echoing the system currently in use at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This technology will be accessible on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This development arrives only a season following the All England Club introduced ELC, which terminated the centuries-old role of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Players will not be permitted to challenge the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to request the umpire to re-examine specific decisions, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or body on the way past.
- Potential hindrance end of a point.
Importantly, there will be no limit on the number of reviews a competitor can initiate.
Case in Point
An illustrative incident took place in a recent tournament last week, where a top player used the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his rival had "played the rules effectively."
The umpire viewed a video and determined Draper was responsible for hindrance, awarding the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the American major for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews in place at all of its events.
Other Changes
A further change at Wimbledon 2025 will be the introduction of visual indicators on displays to complement the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This solves situations where fans have occasionally been uncertain if a ball was in or out.
Finally, with precisely 100 days to go until the start of the Championships, the AELTC have also announced an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
