Wimbledon Embraces Video Replay System in 2025.
The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in employing video review systems.
Video review systems will make its debut at Wimbledon for the 2025 edition.
Competitors are granted the option to question certain decisions from the chair umpire, echoing the system currently in use at each of the American Grand Slam and the Aussie major.
This innovation will be operational on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are staging singles matches.
This step comes just a year after the All England Club introduced electronic line calling, which effectively ended the 147-year role of line judges.
Reviewable Decisions
Players will not be permitted to dispute the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but they can request the umpire to review other decisions, including:
- Whether a tennis ball has double-bounced.
- Whether a shot touched an rival's racket or body during play.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a point.
Importantly, there will be no cap on the number of reviews a player can ask for.
A Recent Example
A recent case took place in Indian Wells recently, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a difficult call for the umpire, but believed his opponent had "played the rules effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte watched a replay and determined the player was responsible for interference, granting the point to his opponent.
Growing Trend
Video reviews are not exclusive to major tournaments. The system was adopted 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 will have the system implemented at every one of its tournaments.
Additional Innovations
Another change at Wimbledon this year involves the introduction of visual indicators on displays to support the audio calls from the ELC system.
This addresses situations where spectators have occasionally been uncertain if a shot was out or in.
In other news, with precisely a century of days to go until the beginning of the Championships, organizers have also announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in Roehampton.
