Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in implementing video review systems.
Video review systems will be launched at The Championships this year.
Players are granted the option to contest particular calls made by the chair umpire, echoing the system currently in use at both the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be accessible on the main stadium and Court One throughout the tournament and on the remaining show courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This development arrives only a season following the All England Club rolled out ELC, which brought an end to the 147-year tradition of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the electronic line calling, but they can request the umpire to review other decisions, including:
- If a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball made contact with an rival's racket or person on the way past.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a point.
Notably, there is no cap on the amount of reviews a player can initiate.
A Recent Example
An illustrative case occurred in a recent tournament recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against Jack Draper.
The British player admitted it was a difficult call for the umpire, but thought his rival had "used the regulations effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and determined Draper was responsible for interference, granting the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. It has been in use at the US Open since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system in place at all of its events.
Additional Innovations
A further change at The Championships 2025 will be the addition of visual indicators on displays to complement the audio calls from the electronic line calling system.
This addresses situations where the crowd have occasionally been unsure whether a shot was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the start of the Championships, organizers have also revealed an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
