Wimbledon Introduces Video Challenge System for the First Time.
The tournament joins the American and Aussie Opens in employing video review technology.
Replay technology will be launched at Wimbledon this year.
Athletes are granted the option to question particular rulings from the chair umpire, mirroring the practice currently in use at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and the number one court throughout the tournament and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This development follows just a season following the AELTC introduced ELC, which effectively ended the centuries-old role of line officials.
Reviewable Decisions
Players cannot to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the umpire to review other decisions, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or person on the way past.
- Possible hindrance end of a point.
Notably, there will be an unlimited number on the amount of reviews a competitor can request.
Practical Application
An illustrative example took place in Indian Wells recently, where a top player used the review system against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted it was a difficult situation for the umpire, but believed his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and ruled Draper was guilty of interference, awarding the point to Medvedev.
Wider Implementation
This technology aren't new for major tournaments. The system has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Aussie Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the ATP circuit plans to have video reviews implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another change at The Championships 2025 involves the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This solves situations where fans have occasionally been uncertain if a ball was in or out.
In other news, with precisely a century of days to go until the beginning of the Championships, the AELTC have also revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in Roehampton.