Wimbledon will follow the American and Australian Opens in implementing replay systems.
Replay systems are set to arrive at Wimbledon this year.
Players will gain the right to question particular calls from the official, following the practice already in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Australian Open.
This innovation is slated for use on Centre Court and Court One throughout the tournament and on the other four featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step arrives only a year after the AELTC rolled out ELC, which effectively ended the longstanding tradition of line officials.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors cannot to dispute the call of the ELC system, but are allowed to ask for the official to review other decisions, including:
- If a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- If a shot touched an rival's racket or body during play.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there is no cap on the amount of reviews a player can request.
Practical Application
An illustrative incident occurred in a recent tournament recently, where a top player used the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper conceded it was a difficult call for the official, but believed his rival had "used the regulations effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and ruled Draper was responsible for hindrance, granting the rally to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not new for Grand Slams. It was adopted at the US Open since 2023 and the Australian Open this year.
Additionally, it is increasingly prevalent on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour plans to have the system implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Further Updates
A further change at Wimbledon 2025 involves the addition of graphical cues on displays to complement the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses instances where fans have occasionally been uncertain whether a shot was in or out.
In other news, with exactly a century of days remaining until the beginning of the tournament, the AELTC have also announced an increase in daily attendance at the qualifiers in the qualifying venue.
