Wimbledon will follow the US and Australian Opens in utilizing replay technology.
Video review systems are set to arrive at Wimbledon for the 2025 edition.
Players are granted the right to question specific rulings made by the official, mirroring the practice already in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be accessible on the main stadium and the number one court for the duration of the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are hosting singles matches.
This move comes just a season following the All England Club rolled out ELC, which terminated the 147-year tradition of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Players cannot to dispute the accuracy of the ELC system, but they can request the official to review other decisions, including:
- Whether a ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot made contact with an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Possible hindrance at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there is no cap on the number of reviews a competitor can initiate.
A Recent Example
A recent case took place in a recent tournament last week, where a top player initiated the review system against Jack Draper.
Draper admitted it was a difficult situation for the official, but thought his rival had "played the rules quite well."
The umpire watched a replay and ruled the player was responsible for hindrance, awarding the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
This technology aren't exclusive to major tournaments. The system has been in use at the American major for two years 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 will have the system in place at every one of its events.
Additional Innovations
Another innovation at Wimbledon 2025 involves the addition of visual indicators on scoreboards to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves situations where fans have sometimes 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 tournament, organizers have further revealed an increase in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
